


Midsummer week's nightmare

by EpiphanyLilium



Series: Midsummer Week's Nightmare [1]
Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Break Up, Character Death, Crush, Drama, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Horror, Love Island, Love Island: The Game Season 2, Minor Original Character(s), Monsters, Mystery, Mythology - Freeform, One Year Later, Paranormal, Pining, Post-villa (Love Island), Psychological Trauma, References to ABBA, Romance, Smut, Survival Horror, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:02:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 121,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22320748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EpiphanyLilium/pseuds/EpiphanyLilium
Summary: Nearly the whole Love Island: The Game Season 2 gang decides to spend a week in Sweden in Henrik's family's summer cottage. What could possibly go wrong with this group in the middle of nowhere?Post-villa, one year later
Relationships: Bobby/Main Character (Love Island), Chelsea/Henrik (Love Island), Gary/Lottie (Love Island), Hope/Noah (Love Island), Ibrahim/Jo (Love Island), Lucas/Hannah (Love Island)
Series: Midsummer Week's Nightmare [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1649431
Comments: 71
Kudos: 112





	1. Once upon in a group chat

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is just a WhatsApp group chat messages. Rest of the chapters will be more traditionally written.

MC: I can’t believe it’s nearly been a year since our time on the island..  
Lottie: It’s crazy, isn’t it? I’m so glad we’ve stayed in contact though!  
Bobby: As if you could get rid of me! That month was the best of my life. Not only did I meet the most beautiful and wonderful woman ever but I made so many great friends along the way!  
MC: Aw, you’re so sweet, baby!  
Noah: We haven’t met up in quite a while though. We’ve all been super busy with our lives.  
Chelsea: OMG, I can’t wait to share a gin with you guys! We need to meet up ASAP!  
Marisol: Law school has been hectic for me this spring.. Maybe now that the summer is around the corner we have more time to hang out?  
Hope: Maybe we could go to a beach together?  
Priya: I wonder if we could rent the Villa..  
Gary: Isn’t the new season of Love Island starting to be filmed soon though? I bet they wouldn’t let us crash there.  
Lucas: That’s true. They are probably preparing the Villa for this years’ islanders as we speak.  
Elisa: I’ve lost so many followers now that we aren’t as relevant anymore..  
Jakub: People are not stopping me on the streets anymore as often to take a picture with me. The hype has really died down.  
Rocco: I’ve just been traveling the world! It’s easier to breath now that not as many people recognize me on the streets.  
Hannah: But back to the beginning of this conversation - does anyone have an idea where we could meet up?  
Henrik: I think I have the perfect idea!  
Ibrahim: Well, what is it?  
Henrik: My family owns a huge summer cottage in Sweden! It’s really nice. We visit it pretty much every summer.  
Jo: How big can a summer cottage really be?  
Henrik: Believe me, I’m from a big family. One summer there were 30 of us spending the weekend there.  
Lucas: I thought I was the rich one..  
Chelsea: Lol! But babe, that’s like, in another country in the middle of nowhere.. Are there even great nightclubs nearby?  
Henrik: Nope! The closest neighbor lives about 3 miles away! We would be totally stranded.  
Marisol: That sounds.. Kinda nice actually! We would be surrounded by nature and silence, there wouldn’t be any distractions and it would give us a perfect chance to calm down after the buzzing city life.  
Lottie: Is it next to a sea?  
Henrik: No, but there is a big and nice lake next to the cottage!  
Noah: I wouldn’t mind a calm getaway weekend.  
Hope: I’m with Noah here!  
Rocco: I haven’t been to Sweden in a while.. It would be cool to visit that place again.  
Henrik: There’s a nice hiking trail and some hills and mountains close by as well.  
Jo: Well, I’m totally in right now!  
Ibrahim: That sounds awesome!  
Bobby: What do you say lass? Would you like to spend a weekend on a summer cottage with all of us?  
Henrik: Let’s make it a week long trip!  
Hannah: What?  
Henrik: It feels kinda weird just to fly to another country for two or three days. We could easily stay there for a few days longer.  
Priya: That’s true! That’s better for the environment as well.  
Marisol: The best for the environment would be if we didn’t go there at all though.  
Chelsea: Wouldn’t it get boring though?  
Gary: We spent a month on an island in Spain, I don’t think a week in Sweden sounds that much worse.  
Bobby: We could probably come up with some challenges and games of our own!  
Elisa: We could vlog our trip!  
Lucas: It would certainly be a new experience to say the least.  
Chelsea: Can you even get a tan in Sweden? Isn’t it like super cold? Oh em gee! Are there polar bears or penguins in Sweden?  
Henrik: No babe, there are no polar bears in Sweden.. Only brown bears!  
Priya: Do you think we’re going to see a bear?  
Rocco: I once saw a bear and I took a selfie with it!  
Henrik: It’s possible that we can see a bear! The cottage is located next to woods.  
Hope: Oh wow. I hope it doesn’t come to that.  
Henrik: To be honest, I’ve never seen a bear while visiting that place. The bears will stay away from us if we make enough noise and make sure we don’t leave any of our trash or leftovers outside during the night.  
Bobby: Making enough noise has never been a problem for us lot! Especially not for Noah and Lottie!  
Lottie: Har har, really funny, Bobby..  
Gary: It’s true though! We should record your snoring so we can play that back to the bears if they dare to come too close.  
Lottie: Not you too, hun!  
Elisa: As long as there are no scops owls..  
Chelsea: No one has answered whether I can get a tan!  
Henrik: I just checked the weather report for the midsummer weekend. It promises about +27 celsius and sunshine. You should be able to tan at least a little, babe!  
Bobby: Henrik’s coming for those weather girl’s jobs!  
Lucas: He already has the hair for that.  
Chelsea: I never thought I would be dating a man with better hair than mine..  
MC: Your hair looks great too, Chelsea!  
Hannah: So is it settled? Are we going to Sweden for the midsummer’s week?  
Hope: I’m up for it!  
Lucas: Sounds like a plan.  
Priya: What are we waiting for? Let’s go!  
Rocco: As long as traveling is involved, I’m in.  
Marisol: I can’t wait for our trip.  
Elisa: As long as I can vlog our journey!  
Ibrahim: I’d love to get away for a week with you guys.  
Jakub: Whatever.  
Chelsea: We’re going to have so much fun!  
Gary: I’m going to take many pictures so I can show them to my nan!  
Lottie: Can’t wait to perform some midsummer’s spells.  
Bobby: You in, lass? I’m not going if you don’t want to go.  
MC: Hell yeah! Let’s do this!  
Chelsea: Woo! We’re happening!  
Priya: Islanders on Tour! Islanders on Tour!  
Hope: We’re not on Love Island anymore.. This can’t really be considered a tour..  
MC: Islanders on Tour!  
Bobby: Islanders on Tour!  
Gary: Islanders on Tour!  
Lottie: Islanders on Tour!  
Lucas: So next up, we should buy the plane tickets and start to think about what we should pack. If we’re going to spend a week in the middle of nowhere, we should come prepared.  
Bobby: Lucas chill, this is not a horror situation!  
Lottie: Imagine if it was! Maybe this is a beginning of a mystery story? Or a horror movie? I’d love that!  
Hannah: Or this could be a part of a romance novel!  
Marisol: This sounds more like a beginning of a weird fanfiction..  
Henrik: Oh man, I can’t wait to share all of the Swedish delicacies and traditions with you guys! Maybe I can even teach you some songs in Swedish! This is going to be epic!  
Rocco: Can I bring my ukulele?  
Jakub: No.  
Lottie: No!  
Rocco: No?  
Ibrahim: As long as you don’t play Wonderwall..  
Rocco: Aw man..  
Hope: Is the cottage off-the-grid?  
Henrik: Not completely. It has electricity and there is a normal plumbing system installed.. But there’s no AC.  
Lucas: Well, that’s better than nothing. We can cool down by taking a dip in the lake.  
Chelsea: Who’s going to spend their days inside that cottage anyways? I’m going to tan all day!  
Jo: I’d like to go for a bike ride or go hiking..  
Ibrahim: You read my mind, Jo!  
Priya: This is going to be such a nice throwback to our time in the Villa.  
MC: Agreed. I’m so excited that I can spend a relaxing yet fun week with all of my best friends.  
Chelsea: That’s so sweet hun! I can’t wait to hang out with you either.  
Hope: Okay, so please inform us when you’ve bought a ticket so we can make sure no one’s left behind.  
Henrik: I need to call my auntie Kerstin to ask them for permission to crash there for a week.  
Noah: So you didn’t ask her before you made the suggestion?  
Henrik: Nope! But it’s going to be fine, aunt Kerstin is so cool! Plus, she totally watched the show and loved it! If anything, she’s going to be excited about this! She probably would love to meet you all, especially Chelsea.  
Chelsea: Eeek! I’d love to meet her too! Maybe we can go for a glass of prosecco..  
Bobby: So what’s the closest airport?  
Henrik: Probably Umeå airport!  
Bobby: Sweet! I’ll order one ticket for me and one for my lass right now! 


	2. Knowing me, Knowing you, there are going to be Visitors - but no Dancing Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will contain the car drive to Henrik's family's summer cottage and some moments after the arrival.

It was the fifth time Chelsea had demanded Henrik to play ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA on the car journey to the summer cottage. And they had only traveled for 30 minutes and there was another 30 minutes to go. On this 8-seater car there was Chelsea, Henrik, MC, Bobby, Lottie, Gary, Hannah and Lucas. In the other car there was the rest of the group.. Well, technically there were nine of them, so Hope was sitting on Noah’s lap the whole way. 

“I’m sure ABBA has other songs than just Dancing Queen, Chelsea..” Lottie called out to Chelsea and let out a long sigh. 

“But this is their best song! Like, I just want to dance to this song! Yooouu can daaancee, yoouuu can jiiivee! Having the time of your liiiiifee!” Chelsea sang along the tune and bobbed her head in rhythm. 

“And I’m sure there are others artists than ABBA in Sweden, right Henrik? Why can’t we listen to something else?” Lucas asked and massaged his temples. 

“Because ABBA is a cult classic! No Swedish experience would be completed without Mamma Mia, Waterloo, Dancing Queen and S.O.S!” Henrik laughed and ramped up the volume, now joining Chelsea in singing the last verse of Dancing Queen.

“I’m gonna send an S.O.S signal if we replay Dancing Queen again after this..” Lottie grumbled and huffed, looking out of the window at the ever-changing scenery with a frown on her face. 

“C’mon guys, we’re about to spend a whole week together in a contained and isolated space and we’re already bickering? Relax!” Bobby laughed and draped his arms around MC’s shoulders, tucking her a little closer to him. 

“He’s right, you know. We had some crazy drama in the Villa but I think we’re past that by now. We don’t want to recreate Bobby’s court now do we?” Gary smiled and stroked his blonde beard. Hannah and Lottie chuckled at his comment while Bobby gasped loudly and looked as if he was mortally wounded.

“That was such a fun evening! Why wouldn’t you want to recreate my court?” he asked and tried to look haughty, failing miserably. 

“No offence Bobby, but I’d rather be dancing with a glass of bubbly in my hand than figuring out the mysteries of crisps in a pool or hair in the drain!” Chelsea chirped and was about to hit the replay button on the car stereo as Dancing Queen had just ended. 

“Chelsea wait! I’ve got a text!” MC shouted quickly and was looking at her phone intently. 

“Good thinking, MC! I don’t think I could’ve taken another round of Dancing Queen. That was such a good distraction.” Lottie praised MC while grinning and became seemingly more relaxed. 

“That shout brings some great and stressful memories back from our time in the Villa..” Hannah sighed and was seemingly lost in thought. Lucas ran his hand through her red hair in a soothing manner. Hannah leaned on Lucas and smiled tenderly. 

“But I actually got a text!” MC claimed and showed the screen to everyone else. There it was, that pesky red box with the number one in it. 

“Is it from the group chat? Is something the matter in the other car?” Henrik who was driving and couldn’t look at the screen asked while keeping his eyes on the road. 

“No, it’s from an unknown number..” MC said, clicked the text message open and looked puzzled. The whole car went silent. Bobby was looking at the message as well, looking just as confused as MC. The next song started to play from the car radio. 

_No more carefree laughter  
Silence ever after  
Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes  
Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye_

“And now we’re getting depressing songs like this when I’m not allowed to replay Dancing Queen!” Chelsea huffed and Henrik lowered the volume to zero. Problem solved. 

“MC, what does the text say?” Henrik asked calmly, though from the front-view mirror it could be seen that he was frowning. Everyone turned to look at MC expectantly. 

“I.. I don’t really know. It’s not in English.. I THINK it’s in Swedish. Plus, there are some coordinates to a forest 15 minute drive away.” MC admitted and frowned. For a moment, everyone was silent until Henrik let out a relaxed chuckle.

“Oh, It’s probably a text from auntie Kerstin! And that coordinate must be the one for the summer cottage. Nothing weird there!” Henrik explained and the air of the car seemed to become less tense. 

“Why would your aunt send a message to MC though?” Lucas wondered and received nods of approval from Hannah and Gary. 

“I gave her everyone’s phone numbers in case of emergency. And she knows I’m driving so she probably sent the text message to someone else because of that!” Henrik answered and didn’t seem bothered in the slightest anymore. That’s why MC decided to shrug it off and closed her phone.

“I guess that makes sense. Kinda scared me though. She could’ve at least written her message in English though.” MC shrugged and laid her head on Bobby’s shoulder. Slowly the other couples started to talk quietly among themselves, sharing stories and cracking jokes as they did in the old days. 

“Hey, the music is still muted!” Chelsea shouted and turned the volume up once again. The song had changed.

_Now I hear them moving  
Muffled noises coming through the door  
I feel I’m crackin’ up  
Voices growing louder, irritation building  
And I’m close to fainting  
Crackin’ up  
They must know by now I’m in here trembling  
In a terror evergrowing  
Crackin’ up  
My whole world is falling, going crazy  
There is no escaping now,  
I’m crackin’ up_

“Well, that’s ominous..” Bobby laughed lightheartedly but secretly tightened his grasp around MC. He knew she was a little startled after that weird text. He knew he was somewhat startled as well. He had written the Swedish words into Google Translate and it had roughly translated into ‘I’m here’. But he wasn’t about to make his lass worry even more about that text - Google Translate was well known for being unreliable and sometimes outright weird. 

“Does listening to Dancing Queen sound like such an awful idea now?” Chelsea asked and changed the song back to Dancing Queen when no one seemed to protest against it out loud. The good vibes were returning to the car as everyone sang along with the lyrics. 

After a while, Henrik turned to his left and began to drive on a small dirt road that was surrounded by a thick forest. Even the sun couldn’t shine between the heavy branches. It looked as if they had been thrown into pages of a fairytale - beautiful yet haunting. 

“We’re getting close!” Henrik exclaimed happily a reminiscing smile on his pale face. Everyone cheered because after a long trip like this, reaching your destination felt great. Soon they could check out the cottage, take a dip in the lake, go to the sauna and set up the grill. 

Soon a magnificent lake opened up on their right. It was large and shined beautifully under the sunlight. And about five minutes later they arrived next to large cottage. Next to the beach there was also another small building, presumably a sauna. Everyone cheered and jumped out of the car as fast as Henrik parked, getting their luggage out and stretching while looking around. A few minutes later another car parked and the rest of the Islanders hurriedly stepped out of the car as well. 

“Wow, this is lush!” Marisol smiled while looking around herself, shielding her eyes from the bright sunshine. 

“This kinda reminds me from that time when we stepped out of the villa first time to face the boys!” Lottie smirked and glanced at Gary, why returned a glance at her, smiling broadly, “Who knew we would still be together after a year!” 

“I’m happy we’re still all together, since if we were not, this trip would’ve been awkward or some people probably would have not come.” Lucas nodded and looked at the people around him. 

“I mean, not everyone came. No one from Casa Amor. Or any of the weather reporters.” Hope bit her lip and sent a sympathetic look to Marisol, Jo and Ibrahim.

“We haven’t really talked to them that much, huh..” MC sighed and looked at the ground.  
“I’m personally glad not everyone is here.” Jo stiffened next to Ibrahim and rolled her eyes. Everyone glanced at her warily, not really knowing what to say. 

“Give it a rest, Jo. Shannon was alright. And it doesn’t matter anymore. You’ve been together with Rahim for almost a year now. As if she could break you apart anymore.” Lottie sighed and shot a glare at Jo. Jo’s face fell and she was about to say something nasty back at Lottie when Ibrahim draped his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze.

“Shannon was a cool girl, but you’re the one for me. Meeting you was the highlight of my time in the Villa and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Ibrahim smiled at Jo and gave her a peck on her cheek while the other islander’s aww’ed. 

“I personally feel indifferent about Graham not attending. He’s a nice fellow. But that being said, I don’t have any feelings for him anymore. I value the time we spent together on Casa Amor and on the Villa but.. I guess in the end we were just too different. I’ve moved on. He’s moved on. I guess he just didn’t want to make things more awkward and as no other guy from Casa Amour attended, he probably chose it’s for the better to skip this meeting.” Marisol shrugged with a poker face. Her and Graham had broken up quite fast after leaving the Villa, but remained as friends afterwards. 

“C’mon, I’ll show you all around the cottage!” Henrik said and lead the whole lot towards the cottage, a large silver key in his hand. 

The cottage had a large living room with a big wooden table in the middle of it. There were three sofas and multiple armchairs and some storage place. The kitchen was its own separate room. It was small yet cozy, and Bobby fast claimed it as his own kingdom. The kitchen had all of it’s basic appliances and had overall a rustic look to it. In the living room there was also stairs leading to a landing, where there was a large double bed. 

“Wow, one double bed and three sofas. Where are the rest of us going to sleep?” Hope asked and raised an eyebrow at Henrik. Henrik just grinned and shrugged.

“We could pitch a tent outside!” Henrik grinned nonchalantly and took some steps towards the front door. The rest of the islanders sighed and hearing that, Henrik turned around, “Just kidding! There are three bedrooms to your left. Each of them have three sets of bunk beds. There are also two toilets next to those rooms. There’s also a toilet in the sauna building.” 

“Bunk beds? Oh man! This sounds like a proper summer camp experience.” Bobby laughed and rushed towards the bedrooms, “I want one of the upper bunks!” he screamed.

“How do we decide who gets to sleep in the double bed?” Lucas asked and everyone went quiet for a while. 

“Doesn’t anyone else want to sleep in bunk beds?” Bobby peeked his head around the corner, grinning from ear to ear. Some people shrugged their heads at him.

“There’s nothing wrong with a sofa or a bunk bed, but it would be nicer to sleep next to your partner in a double bed…” Gary grinned and Lottie shot him a knowing look. 

“I personally don’t want to sleep in the same room with Noah or Lottie.” Elisa joked and the whole group burst into a fit of laughter. Lottie’s cheeks flushed and she tried to hide her face with her luscious blonde hair. Noah just frowned. 

“I’m personally too large to sleep in a bunk bed or a sofa..” Jakub’s cheeks reddened and everyone turned to look at him in disbelief. He is… big, but is he truly THAT big? 

“Good banter, Double J!” Bobby laughed and winked, “I bet you can fit. But I don’t know how comfortable it’s going to be for you, big guy.” 

“That’s what she said!” someone shouted. People looked around confused, because no one really knew who said that. Soon enough they just shrugged it off, blaming it on tiredness after a long trip. 

“Oh by the way, you lot that were in the other car… Did any of you get a text message from an unknown number while we were on the road?” MC asked, remembering the mysterious text message from earlier. Everyone looked at her with a frown.

“I don’t think so. At least no one mentioned anything about a text.” Marisol furrowed her brows and looked around at the people that were in the same car as her. Everyone quickly checked their phones, but no one had received a text message from anyone.

“Huh, that’s odd. I got a text message from an unknown number with some words in presumably Swedish and coordinates to a forest or something..” MC said quietly and looked at Bobby for support. Bobby came and stood next to her, squeezed her arm reassuringly and looked around at the other people. For a while, the room fell quiet yet again.

“We came to the conclusion that it was Henrik’s aunt Janet or something!” Chelsea exclaimed.

“Aunt Kerstin…” Henrik muttered under his breath and furrowed his thick brows, “Can you say what the text said in Swedish.” he asked MC and looked at her questioningly. 

“You’re the only one of us that knows Swedish, mate. She probably can't even pronounce what it says.” Gary remained Henrik while MC took out her phone and looked at the text message on the screen.

“Y… Yak… Ar… Har…” she said, not quite sure if what she said was even correct. According to the look on Henrik’s face, her pronunciation was at least somewhat off. At least she tried her best.

“Just show it to Henrik.” Priya sighed and MC complied. Bobby thought whether it would be a good idea to say that he put that sentence on a Google translate before but decided to remain quiet as he didn’t want to sound dumb in case the text meant something completely different than what Google Translate had told him.

“Jag är här..” Henrik recited the text message and looked worried for a second. Everyone was looking at him intently, waiting for the translation, “Huh, that’s odd..” Henrik muttered.

“Oh, so that’s what it means! Mystery solved!” Chelsea clapped and was about to head for the front door when Henrik stopped her.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just think this is an odd message for my auntie Kerstie to send. Jag är här means.. I am here.” 

Bobby felt like his heart had just dropped or stopped for a second. So it really meant that? Google Translate was correct just this once! Wait… That’s not the most surprising part here. Why would anyone send that kind of a message from an unknown number, while also providing some coordinates to a nearby forest. Bobby felt MC next to him tensing up, so he quickly intertwined his hands with hers and whispered in her ear.

“Maybe someone just pranked you.. Or maybe someone sent it to a wrong number. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation to this.” he whispered soothingly and rubbed circles onto the tender skin of her palm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Knowing me, Knowing you, The Visitors and Dancing Queen are all ABBA's song and were included in this chapter, hence the name.
> 
> Please tell me if there are any ships you want to see in this fic - some of this couples may break up or change throughout the fic! (;


	3. Don’t let the bears get you!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The islanders spend their first evening by taking it easy on the back terrace. Sleeping arrangements are being discussed. But what happens when MC receives another creepy text message from the same unknown number?

“Hi all of my precious Elisa-bees hiii! I’m here today in Sweden with the Love Island crew! I’m obviously joined by my girls MC, Mari, Hopie, Lotta, Chels, Han, Jo and Prie! And the guys are also here! Bobs, Snoozah, Gaz, Henri, Lulu, Rahim, Double J and the Wonderwall guy! We’re at this gorgeous cottage to celebrate midsummer together for the entire week! I’ll keep you guys posted, oh, maybe we can have a Q&A with some of the islanders one day hey! I’ll also upload some vlogs after this on my youtube channel at BeeElisaBee, make sure to check them out too! Love and kisses, Elisa!” Elisa excitedly spoke to the camera while filming the cottage, the yard and the other islanders at their natural habitat. She looked at the footage she had gathered and nodded approvingly. 

“Can we just drop that whole Wonderwall guy thing already? It’s been nearly a year..” Rocco sighed and ran his tan hand through his locks in clear distress. 

“Would you rather be known as a snake?” Lottie asked and shot a glare at Rocco while taking a sip of her cocktail. When Rocco frowned back at her, she blew a raspberry and turned to talk to Gary. 

“You have no one else to blame but yourself for that, mate.” Bobby said and patted Rocco on his shoulder. Everyone turned to look at Bobby, who only took shrugged. 

“You too, Bobby?” Rocco furrowed his eyebrows at the baker and massaged his temples, “I can’t believe that you out of all of the people here would--”  
“Singing Wonderwall in front of national telly is quite a large responsibility after all!” Bobby exclaimed and everyone began to laugh. Even Rocco couldn’t help but let a small smile form on his lips after Bobby’s comment. 

The Islanders had gathered on one of the two terraces. This one was bigger and situated at the back of the cottage, facing the forest. The other, smaller terrace was on the front of the building, facing the beach and the lake. The back terrace had a large table and some chairs, three sun loungers and a grill. A small fence divided the looming forest from the groomed backyard of Henrik’s summer cottage. That fence wouldn’t keep the bears out, that’s for sure, thought MC as she drank her drink. 

“I gotta say, you have a nice place here, Henrik. Even the grass seems freshly cut.” Lucas commented on the cottage approvingly and smiled at Henrik. Henrik returned a dashing smile and whipped his hair. 

“I bet that auntie Kerstin probably mowed the lawn as soon as she heard that we’re coming! She’s all about making things look clean and sharp. She’s such a perfectionist! But I honestly love her for that.” Henrik explained enthusiastically, waving his hands as he started to tell more about his aunt to the group.

“Wow Henrik, you talk about your aunt Kerstin almost as much as Gary talks about his nan!” Lottie smiled and raised her eyebrows while looking at Gary for a reaction. Gary let out a mighty roaring laugh, causing some other people to giggle as well.

“What can I say? We just love strong female role models in our lives. We love women that can keep us on our toes sometimes.” Gary smirked at Lottie and winked at her. 

“I’ll show you how a woman can keep men on their toes…” Lottie grinned at Gary and they began to stare at each other intently.

“Oh, I bet you will…” Gary stared at Lottie and chuckled. The other islander’s were just watching over the couple’s blatant flirting, feeling somewhat uncomfortable yet intrigued. No one said anything after that as Lottie and Gary were too lost in each other’s eyes to say anything. A bird sang from somewhere. Wind billowed in the trees. Someone cleared their throat. Spoiler alert, it was Ibrahim.

“I do love a woman that is not afraid to talk about toes!” Bobby broke the awkward silence that had followed the previous statement. That sparked varying reactions from fellow islanders - some laughed, some became embarrassed and a few even outright horrified. 

“I know I had my glow-up and all but I still don’t understand your obsession on toes..” Hannah complained and was seemingly disgusted. 

“Keep your toes safe, MC!” Priya laughed and licked her lips while staring at MC. MC grinned at her friends and nodded. 

“And you think that I am weird because I iron my socks! Look at that guy!” Jakub huffed and frowned, crossing his hands. 

The sun was starting to set as the islanders were finishing off their drinks and talking about everything between the sky and earth. They were discussing their day-to-day lives, changes in their relationships, family affairs and careers. The air was getting a little chillier and they decided to retire back to the cottage.

“I’ve been thinking about the sleeping arrangements,” began Marisol as they were getting up from their seats, “I think it’s only fair that the couples get to use the double bed. I propose that we switch every night, and as there are six couples, that everyone who is in a couple gets to sleep in the double bed for one night. I also think that Henrik and Chelsea should get to sleep there today as without Henrik we wouldn’t be able to spend a week in such a beautiful environment.” Marisol explained and smiled at Henrik and Chelsea.

“I think that sounds fair enough.” MC agreed and fought a yawn. She didn’t really care where she would sleep tonight - she just wanted to sleep as the long trip had really worn her out. 

“But Chelsea kept abusing us with Dancing Queen for almost all of our car drive..” Lottie protested, half-serious, half-joking. 

“At least it wasn’t the Spice Girls..” Jo mentioned and all of the girls began to reminisce the Girls’ Day they had on the Island. Well, all of the girls apart from Priya, who was already dumped from the Island. But she can still reminisce it through the episode she saw on the television. 

“Well, does anyone else want to sleep next to Henrik then?” Chelsea pouted and looked around. The girls quieted down and looked at the ground awkwardly. 

“Babe! You can’t ask something like that. I don’t want to sleep next to anyone but you.” Henrik quickly said, reaching for Chelsea’s hand. Chelsea’s face brightened as she looked deeply at Henrik’s eyes.

“Aww babe, that’s so cute! I wouldn’t kick you out of my bed for anyone else, either… Well, maybe safe for MC.” Chelsea hummed happily.

“Who wouldn’t want to sleep next to her?” Bobby laughed and a hint of pink covered his freckled cheeks. MC gave her a small peck on the cheek as everyone else remained quiet, “So we’re all in agreement that we all want MC in our bed?” Bobby winked.

“Noah! Say something!” Hope glared at the librarian, who looked away and stayed silent in an agreement with Bobby’s statement. Some of the taken girls eyed their men as well, but didn’t say a word to them. 

“Well, I’m honored, really. But I’m afraid I have to reject your humble requests as there’s only one guy that I like to share my bed with.” MC snickered and shrugged apologetically.  
“Even if he sometimes sleeps in the starfish position?” Gary grinned and wiggled his bushy eyebrows at both Bobby and MC. 

“Who said I’m talking about Bobby? I mean my pet [favourite animal] [pet’s name], obviously.” MC snorted and the other islanders joined her in laughter. 

“I’m so glad we don’t have him here with us. Finally I get to sleep next to you instead of him!” Bobby sighed over-dramatically and pulled MC close, stifling a laugh.

“You guys are totally pulling our legs!” Marisol said in disbelief and eyes the couple, eyebrows furrowed.

“Maybe, Maybe not..” MC winked and tapped her nose, offering the group a mischievous wink, “We’ll never tell..”

“So, Henrik and Chelsea get to share the double bed tonight. We’ll talk about the rest of the schedule tomorrow.. So for tonight, everyone gets to pick whether they would rather sleep on one of these sofas or in the bunk beds, yeah?” Noah looked at the group with raised eyebrows.

“Fine by me!” Elisa shrieked and ran for one of the sofas, “dibs on this sofa!” she shouted as she jumped on the sofa. 

“I want one of the upper bunks!” Bobby exclaimed and ran towards one of the bedrooms. 

“I’ll take the one below you!” MC called after him and went to get her toiletries and pyjamas from her luggage. 

“That’s a bold choice!” Bobby shouted from the bedroom, causing some people to chuckle. 

In the end, Elisa, Marisol and Priya got to sleep on the sofas, while Chelsea and Henrik shared the double bed. Everyone else chose themself a bunk from the bunk beds. The couples slept in the same beds, and Rocco and Jakub shared one as well. 

“Good night everyone! Please wake me up if you want to ask something or need something!” Henrik called out to everyone and received some ‘yes’ answers.

“But make sure you wake Henrik up and not me! I don’t like it when people talk to me in the middle of the night when I’m trying to sleep!” Chelsea continued quickly and let out a small squeal as the islanders began to laugh at her comment. 

“I have kind of missed sharing a bedroom with you guys!” Priya admitted, which sparked some conversation amongst the islanders. Some agreed with her, some politely disagreed. 

“Good night you guys! Don’t let the bears get you!” Gary laughed, made a deep-gutted roaring sound and winced when Lottie jabbed at his back from the bed below. 

“Or the scops owls! Twuuuu!” Bobby imitated the scops owl and was rewarded by a shriek from one of the sofas.

“Not again! I don’t want them to come to my dreams again!!” Elisa cried out and hid her head under her pillow. 

“Okay, quiet down everybody! I’m going to shut off the light now.” Henrik hollered and soon darkness filled the cottage… Well, it wasn’t that dark as summer nights in the Northern Europe are known to be quite bright, but at least it was darker than with the lights on.

~*~

MC was woken up by the sound of her phone in the middle of the night. Groggily, she reached out for her phone and saw that she had received a text message from the same unknown number as before. Once again, it was in Swedish. She wondered for a while whether she should bother Henrik with this or if she could let it wait until the morning. She decided that it was better to wait, as this was probably just a prank from a fan or something. 

She looked at the text and tried to figure out what it means, ‘Jag är inte ett björn, inte ett odjur.. Jag bara vilja att du skulle märka mig..’ That’s what it said. What she remembers from Henrik’s earlier translation, Jag means ‘I’ and ‘är’ means ‘am’ or ‘are’. But that’s not going to help her figure out the message at all. Then, another message came through. This time, it was a photo. A photo that was taken in the heart of a forest. A chill ran through MC’s spine. Was this taken from the same forest that that coordinates from earlier pointed out? Was it from the forest right next to them? Was someone stalking them?

“Lass, I know that ‘ding’ is undeniably a desirable sound, but can’t you please put your phone into silent mode if you’re going to be this popular in the middle of the night?” Bobby’s head appeared upside down from the upper bunk, his eyes looked tired but he still flashed MC a warm smile. MC looked around at the other couples sleeping in the same room. Gary and Lottie and Hannah and Lucas. Luckily, none of them seemed to have woken up by the notification sounds. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just.. I’m receiving these messages from the same number as before and I’m kinda freaked out..” MC admitted in a whisper. All the sleepiness disappeared from Bobby’s light brown eyes at that very instant and he quickly jumped out of the bed.

“Show me the messages.” Bobby demanded sternly and reached out his hand, squatting next to MC’s bed. MC very rarely did see this side of Bobby. Serious, worried even. She felt happy that Bobby didn’t just brush this off. If she had a stalker, she rather had Bobby be aware of the problem as well. MC offered her phone to Bobby, who took it and read the message and looked at the photo. After a while he began to type something.

“Are you writing a message to that stalker? Are you crazy?!” MC whispered accusingly and tried to pry her phone back from Bobby in vain.

“No lass, I’m writing the message into Google Translate and making sure that the photo’s not from Google’s image search through reverse image search.” He explained in a quiet voice. MC relaxed a little and leaned against the wall behind her. Bobby’s expression was unreadable as he stopped typing. 

“Okay, so according to Google Translate, this message says ‘I’m not a bear, not a beast. I just want you to notice me’. We need to ask Henrik whether this is correct in the morning.” Bobby explained and showed the translation to MC, “And.. It’s apparently not an existing photo from Google, I’m afraid.” Bobby sighed and took MC’s hand into his, “But that doesn’t mean it’s taken from the forest next to us. Hell, it could be taken from anywhere around the world!” Bobby tried to soothe MC and squeezed her hand tighter.

“Can.. Can you sleep next to me? Just for this night. I know you love your bunk up there but--” MC started but couldn’t even finish her sentence when Bobby already climbed next to her, wrapping his toned arms around her torso and pulling the duvet on top of them with one swift movement.

“I do like to feel two meters tall, but making sure you’re safe and happy is way more important to me..” Bobby smiled and gave small butterfly kisses to MC’s face, neck and hands. MC sighed contently and melted against Bobby’s body. She already felt much more safe in his arms. Maybe he was right. Maybe the photos were from a completely different country. Or at least from some other forest. Maybe it was really someone just pranking them. Elisa did post the video she took on her Insta story, so all of her followers knew that they were in a cottage next to a lake and a forest. Then they drifted back asleep in each other’s arms to the comforting sound of Lottie’s snoring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC sure is popular.. Not only the guys want her in their beds, but so does Chelsea apparently!


	4. Morning mysteries and Tarot talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New morning breaks and there are certain things that need to be talked about. See what happens during the morning and the day!

“This so cute, you two couldn’t stay on separate beds for even a single night!” Was the first sound MC and Bobby woke up to. They opened their eyes slowly, adjusting to the sunlight that was streaming to the room in between the cracks of the blinds. Lottie was towering over their sleeping frames, a sly smirk playing on her lips. She was already out of her pajamas, rocking a navy blue off-shoulder shirt and some black jean shorts. Everyone else had already left their beds in the room.

“Good morning to you, Lozza..” Bobby yawned and sat down on the bed, “And I know, we’re still waiting for our cuteness award from being the most adorable couple on last year’s Love Island!” Bobby snickered and stretched his arms.

“You already won the bloody show! How many prices do you need to become satisfied?” Lottie groaned while still maintaining her grin. MC rubbed her eyes and sat up as well, giving Bobby a small shoulder rub. 

“As long as we beat Hope and Noah at every category!” MC smirked, causing both Lottie and Bobby to burst out laughing.

“Even at being the cringiest couple out of all us?” Lottie said quietly and raised her eyebrows at the couple in front of her.

“If you don’t think we’re already the cringiest couple possible, you’ve missed out a lot!” Bobby gasped, “I have really mastered the skill of cringe in my time of being known as Captain B. Smooth!” He exclaimed, causing both of the girls to cringe at the pet name.

“Point proven..” Lottie said and stuck out her tongue, “Come on, get dressed sleepyheads! Mostly everyone’s already up. Henrik and Lucas already went for a dip in the lake and Gary, Jakub, Noah, Jo and Rahim left for a morning jog in the hiking trail.” Lottie explained and left the room to the couple.

“Oh, I better get to making breakfast for everyone then!” Bobby exclaimed and hurriedly got off the bed, “I cannot believe everyone else is up and about already. You should show the texts from last night to Henrik as soon as you can.” Bobby leaned down and gave a short kiss on MC’s lips as he was pulling his shorts on. 

“I think I’ll do just that..” MC muttered as she stood up as well, picking up her tooth brush and heading for the bathroom, “At least the bathrooms are empty now. I bet it was chaos before since there’s only three of them for twenty people!” MC smiled and thought about the absolute chaos that morning must have been. MC brushed her teeth, styled her hair, applied some natural-looking makeup and got dressed in appropriate clothing, loyal to her usual style preference.   
~*~  
[Lake]  
[Henrik, Lucas, Priya and Hope]

MC headed towards the lake where Henrik and Lucas had decided to start the day off with some swimming, as Priya and Hope were enjoying a cup of tea on the dock. MC sat down next to Priya who smiled at her.

“Good morning MC! Looking like an Insta model and you don’t even need Facetune to slay all the beauty gurus!” Priya laughed and winked, taking a sip of her hot drink after the comment.

“Thank you, Priya! You look radiant as well,” MC returned the compliment smiling sweetly, “And good morning to you too, Hope! Did you sleep well?” She turned her gaze at Hope who was sitting opposite of them.

“Morning, MC. It was a little weird to sleep in a bunk bed, brings back some memories from my childhood! But I eventually fell asleep and got a good night’s sleep.” Hope answered and flashed MC a tired smile.

MC’s eyes wandered to the two swimming boys. Henrik looked like he was in his element here in the middle of nature. Lucas was a great swimmer, his strokes strong and practiced. Her mind went quickly back at the cryptic text messages she had received.

“Liking what you see?” Priya chuckled and licked her lips, “I know I do!” She added.

“No, it’s not that.. I just got two more messages from the same unknown number during the night and I’m confused by them..” MC explained and blushed just a little, tearing her eyes away from the swimming duo.

“What? What did they say?” Hope frowned and furrowed her brows at MC, tensing up just a little bit.

“Well, I’m not 100% sure as they were in Swedish but according to Google translate.. Ugh, it was all cryptic. Something like ‘I’m not a bear, not a beast. I only want you to notice me.’ Weird, isn’t it?” MC explained at the two girls, who looked on horrified.

“Oh hun, that sounds like a stalker problem. My ex used to stalk me after we broke up and he kept sending me weird messages as well! It stopped after I went to the police and got a restraining order.” Hope said emphatically and put her steaming cup down next to her on the bench.

“That sounds like a riddle. I wonder if something got lost in translation..” Priya wondered and rubbed her chin in thought.

“They also sent this photo,” MC added and showed the girls the photo she had received, “It’s not an existing photo from Google images either. Bobby did a reverse image search.” She explained and felt a familiar shiver running down her spine at the thought of a stalker watching over them from the woods next to them.

“Okay, that’s hella creepy. I’m so sorry that you’re going through this. We’re all here for you.” Priya said and enveloped MC in a quick hug. 

“Well, let’s not stray from our objective. We first need to make sure Google Translate provided a correct translation. After that we can think about some safety measures we may need to take..” Hope said methodologically and rose to her feet, “Yo Henrik! Swim over here right now!” She called out to the boys sternly. The boys seemed to have heard it as both of them started to swim towards the dock. 

“Good morning MC! Looking sharp!” Lucas exclaimed as he reached the docks first. A few seconds later Henrik appeared next to him as well, nodding to the girls.

“What’s up? I heard that you guys were starting to miss me!” Henrik grinned and pushed some wet hair from his face.

“Henrik! Our very own walking Swedish-English-Swedish dictionary! Can you translate this message MC received?” Priya smiled and nodded towards MC as to signal her to show her phone to Henrik. MC gave her phone to Henrik, who took it carefully and began to read the text message. 

“Wow, someone sure is popular out here in Sweden. Maybe it’s one of Henrik’s relatives who watched the show and are excited to communicate with you in one way or another?” Lucas suggested and pushed himself off the water, on the dock. Henrik frowned at the screen and seemed to be in deep thought. 

“Well, this sounds quite cryptic. It says ‘I’m not a bear, not a beast… Or a monster! I just want you to notice me,’” Henrik translated and scrolled down, now eyeing the photo, “You got a photo, too?” MC gasped, causing everyone to look at her. 

“I’m just surprised that Google Translate has been so reliable so far! I was sure something had gotten lost in translation or something but no..” MC explained her reaction and received nervous chuckles from Priya and Lucas. 

“This place looks familiar..” Henrik muttered and furrowed his brows, biting the inside of his cheek. Hope glanced at him anxiously. 

“Can you really tell forests apart from each other just by a single picture?” She asked him and drank some tea.

“If it’s a very familiar forest, I guess.. But nah, I’ve been to hundreds of forests so I can’t be completely sure where this one is taken!” Henrik smiled and gave MC’s phone back to her. It felt all wet and slippery. 

“Thank you anyway. It’s a big help that you can at least translate these cryptic messages.” MC sighed and closed her phone. 

“I’m going to go and dry myself off now. Are you coming with me, Henrik?” Lucas asked and started to walk towards the sauna.

“Sure thing buddy! Let me just…” Henrik said and pulled himself off the water. His body was dripping water as he glistened in the morning sun, “MC, tell me if you get any other messages as fast as you receive then, okay? We’re going to figure this out. Don’t worry yourself too much.” He spoke quietly to MC, patted her shoulder and walked after Lucas.

As the two guys disappeared to the sauna, Gary, Noah, Ibrahim and Jo came jogging towards the docks. 

“Good morning squad! Enjoying a peaceful morning?” Ibrahim called out with a smile on his face. He didn’t seem too tired and sweaty after his morning jog unlike the other’s following him.

“You can say that again.. I haven’t been able to just chill like this in such a long time!” Priya complained and stretched nonchalantly.

“Where did you leave Jakub? Didn’t he go with you guys?” Hope asked and eyes the group suspiciously before giving Noah a warm smile.

“He wanted to take the longer route, so he just wandered off somewhere himself. The trail is well marked so I think he’s going to be able to find his way back!” Gary grinned and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“Isn’t that quite irresponsible though? He has never jogged through this trail in particular and the signs are probably in Swedish!” Hope asked worriedly. A lash of anxiety crossed Gary’s face.

“You know how he is.. He’s very stubborn! I tried to persuade him to just jog with us but he kept saying no so it’s on him if he gets lost!” Jo exclaimed and took deep breaths after the workout.

“He has a phone. He can call Henrik if he gets into trouble. Or we can call him if he doesn’t return in an hour or something..” Noah smiled and walked next to Hope, giving her a sweaty hug.

“So what’s been happening in here?” Gary cleared his throat and tried to look as relaxed as he could. 

“Well, I slept in with Bobby, Lottie woke us up and now I’ve just been chilling here with Hope and Priya. Henrik and Lucas were swimming a while ago but they left to dry off.” MC explained to Gary who grinned in return.

“An active night?” Gary smirked and wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

“Not like that!” MC laughed, “But I kept receiving more messages from that unknown number and kinda freaked out in the middle of the night.” 

Gary’s face fell, “Someone sent you creepy messages in the middle of the night? How come I didn’t hear the notification sounds?”

“Lottie!” MC, Hope and Priya chanted in unison, “Jinx!” They added and began to giggle mercilessly. Soon, Gary, Noah, Ibrahim and Jo joined in and they talked a while longer about their first night in the cottage and shared some funny stories about their lives. After a while, MC started to feel hungry and decided to go to check if Bobby was ready with the making of breakfast and what there was to eat. She excused herself and walked towards the cottage.

~*~

[Living room]  
[Lottie, Hannah, Elisa, Mariso and Rocco]

MC walked to the cottage, a smell of porridge, pancakes, eggs and meatballs filling her nose as soon as she opened the door. Bobby really was cooking up a storm! 

“Do come in and join us, MC!” Rocco shouted from the table in the middle of the room that the rest of the islanders had gathered around. Marisol was sitting next to Rocco, and Elisa was sitting on her other side. Lottie and Hannah were sitting on the opposite side of the table in front of then, back facing to the front door. MC walked up to them and sat down next to Hannah.

“Lottie is reading our fortune here with Tarot cards. She’s trying to find out what’s going to happen here this week!” Hannah explained and pointed at the cards lying on the table. Lottie was reading her cards to Elisa at the moment. She had received 3 of Cups, 7 of Swords and Temperance. 

“So I see that you’re going to have a great time here with your friends, but someone is being sneaky. It could even be you, that is going to sneak around. And Temperance here is warning you about being more patient and keeping everything in moderation. Don’t drink too much here, hun!” Lottie remarked and turned one last card around, “And here we have 7 of Cups! Beware of illusions, make sure you’re making sound decisions.” 

“I need to update my cards to my Insta story!” Elisa chimed and began filming, “Hi my lovely Elisa-bees! Lottie the resident mystic just gave me a small Tarot reading! According to her I have had way too many cups hahaha!” She joked and grinned at the camera and Lottie cleared her throat in an annoyed manner, “Well, not exactly that, but she was talking about having a good time, bewaring of snakes and illusions and like, staying patient and remembering moderation! I guess there could be snakes around here..” she quickly glanced at where Rocco was sitting, “Probably vipers!” She added while smirking and stopped the recording. 

“Do you want me to pull you some cards as well, MC?” Lottie turned to MC and smiled her mysteriously, her magnetic eyes studying MC’s eyes and face intently.

“Sure, what’s the worst that could happen?” MC answered and relaxed in her chair. Bobby was still in the kitchen so this was probably the best way to waste some time. Lottie grinned in response and started to shuffle her cards. She mumbled some strange words under her breath and out came a card flying as she shuffled.

“When a card just flies out like this, it usually has an extra important message and the spirits wanted to make sure that it’s coming through urgently!” Lottie explained before she pulled out three other cards intuitively and laid them on the table.

“Or then you’re just bad at shuffling cards!” Marisol exclaimed and Lottie shot her an angry glare.

“Now, let’s see what you got. Let’s start with the flyer..” she mumbled and turned the cards. The first one was the Lovers. After that she turned 9 of Swords, 8 of Wands and the Moon. Lottie stared at the cards for a minute, examining them in detail. No one dared to speak.

“At least you didn’t get Death or the Devil or something!” Rocco laughed and everyone shushed him.

“I see.. So, the Lovers usually has a double meaning. Sometimes it means partnership, but in some cases it can just mean dual energies. Sometimes it can mean infidelity, as you can see that there are three people depicted here. It also stands for the zodiac sign Gemini.”

“Bobby’s a Gemini, right?” Hannah asked and Lottie nodded.

“Correct. But I don’t think this is the biggest problem you need to be worried about..” Lottie continued, only to be distracted by Marisol again.

“But you just said that this was an important message from the spirits.. And now it’s suddenly not that important? This doesn’t seem very logical..” she sighed and tapped the table with her long nails.

“Let it be, Marisol!” Lottie hissed at her and then turned her attention back to the cards and MC, “8 of Wands usually stand for messages or quick movement or reaction. You may receive some messages or you may be required to act fast this week. 9 of Swords talks about anxiety, nightmares and depression. Pay special attention to your mental health and sleep this week! You can always talk to me about your dreams and nightmares if you need help interpreting them! The Moon on the other hand.. Things are not always how they appear to be. Secrecy, something is hidden out of plain sight, trust your instincts..” Lottie trailed off in deep thought, staring off in the distance.

“Aaand she’s gone..” Elisa sighed and looked at the cards, “I don’t really know what I think about Tarot. It’s fun, but is there really anything more to it?” She admitted, “At least the pictures are interesting!” 

Just then Bobby walked out of the kitchen with a tray loaded with pancakes, fried eggs, meatballs and porridge. MC remembered how hungry she was before and her stomach reciprocated te the sentiment by making a loud noise.

“I’m glad someone is hungry!” Bobby laughed and grinned at MC, “Lass, can you please call the rest of us to brunch?” he asked and MC nodded, jumping up from her chair and walking towards the front door. She opened it and called as loud as she possibly could.

“Come to eat! Bobby has prepared us brunch!” She shouted and seemed to get the attention of the rest of the islanders, who began to walk towards the cottage.

Everyone gathered around the table and began to load their plates with Bobby’s food. Bobby smiled broadly before sitting down himself. Suddenly he frowned and asked, “Where’s Jakub?” 

“He’s probably still on his morning jog. He chose the longer trail. Should we text him that there’s food?” Gary told Bobby and Bobby nodded approvingly.

“Maybe we should. I bet he’s hungry after such a workout!” He said and took out his phone, typing the message, “There!” 

The Islanders began to eat, pleasantly chatting with each other.

“Chelsea, where were you the whole morning? I didn’t see you at all this morning!” MC inquired and looked at the blonde chirpy woman sitting next to her.

“I slept in and after that I took a loooong shower!” Chelsea giggles twirled her damp hair around her index finger.

Thirty minutes had passed and most people had finished eating when Jakub marched in. He was drenched in sweat and looked seemingly tired as he headed straight for the showers.

“Aren’t you going to eat first? We don’t want you fainting or anything!” Bobby called out after him. He just shrugged without turning around. 

“Need shower first.” He simply stated and disappeared to one of the bathrooms.

“Wow, that must have been one hell of a jog!” Bobby laughed and few others joined him.

“He sounds more like a Neanderthal every day. His sentences are getting more and more simplistic!” Elisa sang and tried to imitate Jakub, “Me. Jakub. Need. Shower.” She boomed in a deep voice. 

“I guess he really wore himself out, bless him!” Chelsea chimed and popped a piece of meatball in her mouth.  
~*~  
[Yard & Beach]  
[Chelsea, Priya, Marisol, Henrik, and Bobby]

Chelsea was tanning at a sun lounger Henrik had carried for her from the back terrace when you walked up to her. She was wearing a baby pink two piece and big, dramatic sunglasses. Next to her she had a glass of prosecco and Henrik’s Love Island water bottle.

“Oh hi, hun. What’s up?” She asked when MC approached her with a towel in her hand. She stared at her from behind her sunglasses with a small smile on her face.

“Not much. I was kinda bored, so I was debating on whether I should go for a swim or soak up the sun,” MC explained and set her towel next to Chelsea’s lounger, “Henrik brought you his water bottle? That’s so sweet of him!” 

“Oh yeah, that.. I lost my own bottle months ago so I have kinda adopted his bottle now! He has enough water bottles already.” Chelsea sighed and looked at the water bottle next to her.

“Does he know that you.. Adopted it?” MC asked and laid down on the towel, shielding her eyes from the sun.

“Nope! He thinks he just lost it!” Chelsea giggled and took a sip out of the water bottle she had stolen from Henrik. Then they both fell quiet, preferring to listen to the silent sound of waves and wind, and the occasional orchestra of birds and insects. After a while, Priya walked next to them and laid her own towel next to MC.

“Hi girls! Did you know that after the brunch Jakub just went to sleep? Like, he just woke up, went to a jog, came back, ate a little and went straight for a nap! He’s been sleeping for two hours now with no sign of waking up!” Priya told the girls and spread some sun lotion to her beaming caramel skin. 

“That’s odd. He really knackered himself out.. But doesn’t he have really strict workout regime normally as well? Could one jog on a hiking trail really wear him out like that?” MC wondered and opened one of his eyes, looking at the lake. 

“Maybe he didn’t sleep that well last night? We’re at a new place after all. It’s always strange to fall asleep in a new place for the first time!” Chelsea answered and took a sip of her bubbly prosecco, “Plus he slept in the same room as Noah. And he’s so muscular that the bunk must have felt super small to him!” 

“I slept in the same room with Lottie and managed to sleep just fine..” MC muttered and suddenly sat up. For a second she thought she saw something moving in the lake, but it was gone before she could even blink. 

“Huh? Why did you sit up so fast?” Chelsea asked and looked at her friend with concern. 

“I saw some movement out there in the lake.. At least I thought I saw.. But I guess I’m just paranoid after those creepy messages..” MC answered, her muscles tense and mind racing. 

“It could have been sunlight hitting the water from a strange angle. Or maybe a twig. I didn’t really see anything, though.” Priya retorted calmly and adjusted her swimsuit. 

“Maybe it was a duck! Marisol knows a lot about ducks, we could ask her!” Chelsea hummed.

“I heard my name. What’s going on out here?” A familiar voice asked behind the trio, causing them to jump. They quickly turned around and saw Marisol smiling back at them. 

“Oh my gosh Marisol, you almost gave me a heart attack!” Priya shrieked and had her hand on her chest. Marisol chuckled and joined the girls. She had back of crisps with her. She opened the bag and put it in the middle of everyone.

“There’s this psychological phenomenon called cocktail party effect. It means that when you selectively yet subconsciously listen in on other people’s conversations, you can pick up words or short sentences that mean alot to you even in a noisy room. For example ones name. I always know when someone is talking about me or stationary cupboards,” Marisol explained and ate a crisp from the bag, “You guys had a proper scare there. Were you on edge about something?” 

“MC saw a duck!” Chelsea exclaimed and caused Priya and MC to subsequently laugh. “So we thought instinctively about you and your duck blog!” She continued. Marisol rose a single eyebrow and looked at the two girls who were in serious fits of giggles. 

“We don’t know if it was a duck! It could have been anything. I just thought I saw something moving out there but then it just disappeared.” MC explained the situation to Marisol. A knowing smile formed on Marisol’s lips.

“Ahh, I see. Do you want to hear my take on this?” She questioned and when MC nodded in agreement, she continued, “I honestly think that you have been so anxious about yesterday’s events that your mind is starting to become overwhelmed, which causes you to become more alert and notice potential, usually meaningless, threats everywhere.”

“I hope you’re right. But I am anxious. Even Lottie’s cards were telling about the messages and potential danger..” MC sighed and Priya patted her on her shoulder in a soothing manner.

“That’s just Tarot. Science can’t prove that Tarot has anything to do with real life unless you unconsciously work towards the cards message,” Marisol theorized and let out a long sigh, “But I gotta admit.. There’s this weird vibe hanging over us. Like something’s going to happen soon. So far I’ve been telling myself it’s just my imagination, but…” Marisol went silent and bit her plump lower lip.

“I’ve been feeling that too. I just really can’t put my finger on it..” Priya agreed and ran her hand through her hair in slight distress. Suddenly Chelsea got up from her sun lounger, took a fistful if crisps and started to determinedly walk towards the lake.

“Uhm.. Chels, what are you doing?” MC called after her, taken aback.

“I’m going to feed the ducks!” She shouted joyfully and walked on the dock, ready to throw the crisps.

“We don’t even know if there are ducks there! And don’t you remember Kassam’s song ‘Don’t feed the ducks’?” Priya hollered and Chelsea stopped for a while.

“Well, I’m going to feed fishies then!” Chelsea sang and threw the crisps overboard. Marisol sighed at the sight.

“Most fish mostly eat plankton or something at least smaller than crisps..” she mumbled quietly.

“Hey lass!” MC heard Bobby calling for him, so she instinctively turned to face him. Henrik was following Bobby a few steps behind. Both of them were smiling as per usual, but this time their eyes didn’t quite match their smiles. Their eyes reflected worry.

Something was wrong.

“Hi Bobby, hi Henrik!” MC greeted the two guys and stood up, “Want crisps?” She offered the bag of crisps in their direction.

“Not right now, lass. There’s something we need to talk about.” Bobby’s smile faltered a little as he reached for MC’s hand. 

“Yeah MC, can you lend me your ph— Wait, here my water bottle is! I’ve been looking for it!” Henrik started but got sidetracked when he noticed his water bottle next to Chelsea’s sun lounger. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry babe! You didn’t actually lose it, I took it from you! In reality, I lost my own water bottle and I was upset so I took yours! But I’ve been taking good care of it, I have been a good mother to it..” Chelsea explained quickly, her lower lip trembling as if she was about to burst into tears. She couldn’t bare to look at Henrik at first she kept looking at her toes and wiggled them with nervous energy.

“It’s fine, babe. I don’t mind. I’m just happy you came clean. We can share our water bottle! Or maybe we could order you a new one from the Love Island shops!” Henrik requested and Chelsea turned to look at him with a quizzical expression.

“You can just order them from the internet?! I thought they were an inclusive gift for us real islanders!” She sounded surprised and looked at Henrik’s water bottle, pouting. 

“But in the good news, you can buy a brand new bottle with your own name spelled on it! Doesn’t that sound better than having one with my name?” Henrik questioned and slowly Chelsea’s expression turned into one of excitement.

“You could order one with my name on it! That would be so cute! Like one of those bff-necklaces but only water bottles!” She chanted and picked up Henrik’s water bottle from the ground. 

“That’s actually a good idea, babe! I’ll do it after this week!” Henrik grinned happily.

“Not to disturb your wholesome moment but.. For what reason do you need my phone for?” MC cleared her throat and asked softly.

“Oh yeah! Sorry, I got completely sidetracked! I just want to see that photo again.” Henrik hurriedly turned back to MC. She nodded, unlocked her phone, opened the photo and gave her phone to Henrik. Why on earth would he need to see that phone again? Then, out of nowhere, Henrik took out his own phone and kept glancing between the two phones. Bobby looked over Henrik’s shoulder and furrowed his brows, gulping quietly. Henrik’s green eyes grew wide in realization.

“I knew it! I knew that I recognized this place!” Henrik hissed and turned the phone screens to face MC. There were two nearly identical pictures of two forests, every detail in sync. MC felt like for a while, the earth under her gave in and she was falling into the depths of it. 

“What Henrik is trying to say that the photo you received of that unknown forest is indeed taken in the forest next to the cottage..” Bobby said quietly and MC began to shiver. It was like the sun had decided to retire for today and all the warmth in the world had just disappeared. 

“When you first showed me the photo I thought it looked overly familiar so I asked Bobby to accompany me and we went to the forest and I found that place.. I used to play there as a child with my cousins and siblings all the time. Every summer we would run around there, build small shacks, play hide and seek and pretend. That’s why I recognized it nearly right away. You need to walk about a mile into the forest to reach that place..” Henrik explained, his expression changing from reminiscent to frowning as he talked on and on. At some point MC had noticed that Henrik’s mouth was still moving but there was no sound and that every other sound had been muted as well. No waves, no birds, no sounds of the other islanders.

And that’s when her vision went blurry and her legs buckled under her weight.

She went out for only a second or two. When she came back to it, she was held by Priya and Bobby’s worried face was right in front of her face. She heard the distinct sound of Chelsea’s soft sob and Marisol was calling out MC’s name.

“Thank goodness you woke up.. You just collapsed. I guess the shock was too much for you to handle right now..” Bobby spoke softly and pushed a strand of MC’s hair behind her ear, letting his hand travel down her cheek and jawline afterwards.

“I’m sorry, I…” MC began to apologize but a calming voice behind her stopped her in her tracks almost instantly.

“Fainting is beyond your control. You have nothing to apologize for..” Priya whispered soothingly into MC’s ear.

“Goods news are that we didn’t find any signs of anyone there when we visited that area. No shacks, no plastic wrappers, no bottles, clothes or signs of campfire or anything. If someone was there last night, well, let’s just say they are not there right now!” Henrik told and tried to hove a reassuring smile to MC. His revelation made MC feel a little bit more at ease with the current situation.

“I still think that just as a safety measure we should gather everyone together and explain the full situation and set out some ground rules, like is there something we should look out for or should someone check out that area regularly..” Bobby trailed off and stared at MC’s eyes. His eyes were gleaming with worry.

“I agree. It’s better to be safe than sorry..” Marisol added and glanced at MC empathetically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a bit more chill chapter now wasn’t it! I think these chapters are needed for character interaction and dynamic changes though! Next chapter will be a bit more interesting, so stay tuned for that!


	5. Is it true that the beast is waking?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gathers together to talk about the current situation. Can the islanders even have one single evening of peace and quiet?

[Living room]  
[Everyone]

Bobby and Henrik had gathered all of the rest of the islanders around in the living room. Some were sitting around the table, others were sitting on the sofas and armchairs. The air felt heavy with anticipation. 

“As you all are probably aware by now, MC has received some strange texts from an unknown number. At first we brushed it off as a prank, but now we have a reason to believe that texts are not a laughing matter. The photo MC received last night has been located in the forest next to us by Henrik. That’s why I am asking you all to keep your eyes open and ears alert as we believe MC might have a stalker following her, and subsequently us, around.” Bobby held a long monologue in front of everyone, his expression stern and serious, just like it was when he pretended to be Judge Bobby. No one dared to disturb his speech. Who knew that everyone would be able to listen to Bobby, the literal class clown, so seriously without smiling or laughing?

Chelsea sat next to MC, holding onto her arm as MC was still shaken by the recent news. Priya sat on the other side of MC and had her arm around her protectively.

“I’d also like to propose that we should check out the woods two or three times each day in case we can spot the stalker. I don’t think anyone should wander there alone, though. I know the woods very well, so I obviously should be one that checks the area but I hope that one of the other guys here could accompany me when I go for the lookout just in case anything were to happen.” Henrik added and received understanding nods from the other blokes.

“We all have to look out for each other here now. Of course we’re up to checking out the forest site every once in a while.” Gary spoke up first, glancing emphatically at Henrik, Bobby and MC.

“We should probably create a rotating schedule for this job as well, so everyone has to check the site every once in a while,” Lucas added thoughtfully and moved his eyes between all of the guys, “Henrik goes every time, so let’s say that this evening I’ll check out the site with him. Tomorrow morning Gary should go with Henrik, Rocco during the day, Jakub in the evening, the next morning Ibrahim, then Bobby and after that it will start from me again and continue in the same order.” 

“Fine by me.” Ibrahim nodded nervously, still putting on a brave face for the sake of the others. Other guys nodded as well, murmuring quietly between themselves.

“This feels like we’re being drafted into a war!” Bobby laughed, melting away some of the tenseness in the room, “But I am happy I can trust you guys. I’m obviously really worried about everyone’s safety, especially MC’s.. It breaks me a little to think that she is being stalked and harassed by someone when where supposed to have a relaxing and fun week here together..” he added and glanced sadly at MC.

“We’re all worried for her, mate.. But it’s going to be alright. There’s no way we’re letting an outsider hurt any of us.” Gary crossed his arms and huffed, look of determination grazing his features. 

“As you guys are protecting us by checking out the forest regularly, we’re going to make sure everything’s functioning as it should here in the cottage. Bobby, don’t worry about cooking if you have to check out the site. We can cook as well. And Henrik, don’t worry yourself about warming up the sauna either, we girls can take care of that too!” Priya promised with a smile on her face, still holding MC close. 

“Do you know how to light up the fireplace? It’s not an electric sauna, you know..” Henrik worried and some of the girls answered that they knew how to do it and that they could teach it to the others. Henrik let out a sigh of relief.

“We may be hot and glamorous but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything practical!” Lottie smirked and stuck out her tongue to the boys, small fits of laughter could be heard from all around the room.

“We’re sure lucky to have you girls here with us..” Rocco laughed somewhat sarcastically. Lottie frowned and was about to say something, when an all-too-familiar sound chimed, freezing everything around them for a second. 

**Ding.**

Some of the islanders tensed up at the sound. Chelsea let out a loud gasp. Some of them frowned. Some of them looked around for others reactions. MC’s eyes widened as she felt the vibration against her skin. With shaking hands, she reached out for her phone. She held her breath, turning the phone screen to face her. 

“Guys… It’s another text..” she breathed out, trembling. Priya tightened her arm around MC’s shoulder and Chelsea patted her arm comfortingly.

“Do you want someone else to look at it? Or do you want to see it for yourself?” Bobby asked silently.

“Well, if it’s going to be another message in Swedish, then maybe Henrik should take a look at it first..” MC said in deep thought and rose up to her feet, walked up to Henrik and offered him her phone. Henrik didn’t protest, just nodded and took the phone from MC. MC stayed in the same place in front of Henrik, not daring to move. Henrik looked at the screen, eyebrows furrowed. 

“It’s not a message..” he began, all eyes glued on him, “Well, it is a message, but not a written one. It’s a voice message.” he continued and looked up to MC, “Do you want me to play it to everyone?” he asked considerately. 

“Go ahead…” MC muttered and after taking a quick look at everyone else, Henrik tapped the small triangle button next to the voice message. 

At first there was only silence. Islanders were holding their breaths. Then, there was a small rustle of leaves, twigs and the forest floor. Quiet footsteps dragging along. Deep, wincing breaths. MC’s blood ran cold at the sound of someone breathing. It sounded like someone who was either in pain.. Or pleasure. Or maybe both. The footsteps and rustling game to a halt. A bird sang in the background. Then there was a sharp snap. MC couldn’t identify the sound at first, until a soft sound of music could be heard

_Do I hear what I think I’m hearin’?  
Do I see the signs, I think I see?  
Or is this just fantasy?  
Is it true that the beast is wakin’?  
Stirrin’ in his restless sleep tonight in the pale moonlight?  
In the grip of this cold December  
You and I have reason to remember_

Then, the music was cut into static that kept growing quieter and quieter. When it was barely audible, a silent, high pitched voice could be heard. That’s where the voice message ended.

“Henrik, what did they say?” Chelsea asked, voice trembling softly. Henrik brought the speaker close to his ear and replayed the last part back two more times to make sure that he was hearing the message right.

“They said ‘stop it’.. I think. _‘Sluta’_ ” Henrik answered and gave MC back her phone. MC just stared at the screen absentmindedly, eyes glistening. Bobby walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and stroked her hair softly. Everyone was silent before a hurried conversation broke out.

“Was that ABBA?” Hannah asked and started to silently hum the song’s tune. 

“Dancing Queen would have been a nicer choice from them..” Chelsea whispered and tried to force a smile on her lips.

“They need a better radio, that static was just awful!” Lottie huffed, grimacing.

“Are they in the forest right now?” Jakub asked and looked outside of the window, paranoid.

“Why were they breathing so damn loud?” Elisa wondered and seemed disgusted.

“Why would we or MC need to stop something? They are the one freaking us out!” Jo huffed, her shoulders tense and lips formed into a thin line.

“Their voice sounded quite high-pitched.. I would have imagined the stalker to have a deep, booming voice..” Noah noted and bit the inside of his cheek. 

“I wonder whether the lyrics had a clue hidden in them.. Didn’t they say something about beasts in the previous text message?” Hope exclaimed in deep thought. 

“Okay everyone! Shut up! Let’s discuss what we heard and noticed one topic at a time. Let’s start from the beginning. We heard nature sounds and walking. Okay. What thoughts do we have about that?” Lucas shouted and caught everyone’s attention. 

“Well, it sounded like they were walking in a forest. And seeing that MC’s photo was confirmed to be taken in the forest next to us, I think we have a reason to believe the sounds came from the same forest.” Jakub established and received worried glances from the other people in the room.

“But I checked the forest with Bobby just about an hour ago and didn’t see any signs of human interference!” Henrik pointed out.

“Maybe they heard you two coming and ran away?” Elisa suggested, rising a single eyebrow.

“Wouldn’t we have heard something then? Like them gathering their stuff or footsteps?” Bobby chimed in, gently letting go of MC.

When no one found counter arguments, Lucas spoke up again, “Well, what about the deep breathing we heard?”

“It sounded like that person was in pain..” Marisol blurted out. 

“To me it sounded like they were enjoying themselves..” Lottie disagreed and received some uncertain and disgusted looks.

“I don’t know which option sounds worse..” Hope said uncomfortably and fidgeted in her seat.

“Maybe they just wanted to add creepiness? Loud breathing is a common horror trope!” Hannah explained with an uncertain smile on her face.

“Good thinking, babe!” Lucas praised Hannah, who sat a little straighter after hearing that, “Then that person turned the radio on and played that song. Henrik, can you confirm that the song was by ABBA?” He looked at the long-haired blonde.

“Yes, I’m sure it was a song by ABBA. You can’t be mistaken about Agnetha’s voice! I think it was ‘Soldiers’ from their album ‘Visitors’ that was published in 1981..” Henrik told the others.

“Wow Henrik, you seem to really like ABBA, huh?” Jo laughed and Henrik grinned at her in return.

“My parents used to listen to ABBA all the time when I was a kid, so I kinda grew up listening to them!” Henrik explained.

“Kinda like Noah did with Toto and Bonnie Tyler!” Hope exclaimed and Noah smiled at her warmly. “So now we know the song. Do you think the lyrics held any special meaning or was it chosen just to add to the creepiness factor?” Hope continued to keep the ball rolling.

“It did mention something about a beast, just like the earlier text message..” Rocco pointed out, scratching his beard in thought.

“What bothered me the most was the line of the beast stirring in his sleep that night, about to wake up.. Is that a warning? Like, is something going to happen tonight?” MC spoke for the first time in a while, her voice nearly cracking at the end. Bobby engulfed her in a long hug again. The islanders exchanged nervous glances, some of them whispering.

“Let’s just make sure that all of the windows and doors are locked before we go to sleep and we should be fine.” Ibrahim commented and glanced at the front door. 

“And what if they come here? It’ll be one against twenty. We’ll apprehend that jerk and call the police on then if they try anything funny!” Gary growled with a stern face.

“It would be a stupid move by them to try anything..” Noah stated calmly. 

“But what if they are armed?!” Chelsea yelped and nineteen pairs of eyes snapped onto her.

“That reminds me!’ Henrik yelled and ran out of the front door as if the floor under him was burning hot. The islanders fixed quizzical looks after him, but quickly returned to the issue Chelsea had brought up. 

“I think we would still be able to overpower them,” Jakub said and flexed his muscles, “I’m already armed with these guns so I have nothing to be worried about!” He snorted and gave his bulging biceps two kisses. 

“Cringe!” Elisa yelled and made a gagging sound. Jakub looked offended, but didn’t say anything back to her.

“After the verse we heard static sound for a while and then that high-pitched voice that really took us by surprise. What do we make of that?” Lucas questioned the rest of the group.

“It’s sounded almost like a child!” Marisol began.

“Maybe they faked their voice? Or used a voice changer? You can download those pretty much anywhere nowadays!” Bobby suggested and tried to imitate the voice. He couldn’t quite get his voice to match the pitch, “That hurts my throat!”

“Or maybe they have naturally a funny voice! My old science teacher sounded like Kermit the Frog!” Chelsea laughed and did her best Kermit impression. It wasn’t that good.

“Well, whatever the reason was, that’s not what any of us expected to hear. Stop it? That’s really odd for a stalker to say.” Priya concluded, a suspicious look evident on her features. That’s right - why would a stalker say something like that? Suddenly, a sharp yelp could be heard from where Marisol was sitting.

“What if it wasn’t the stalker who said those words?” A wave of realization washed over the group as they let Marisol’s words hang in the air.

“But.. The heavy breathing.. And that voice.. So..” Lottie began but stopped short, looking more and more nauseated by the second.

“Did we hear something.. We shouldn’t have heard? Like, an actual crime?” Gary whispered, crest-fallen.

“If that’s the case then that is beyond effed up!” Noah gritted his teeth, tensing up and clenching his fists.

“If that’s the case then I wouldn’t mind about us having some kind of weapon with us!” Hannah shouted in horror and disgust.

“Talking about weapons… Where did Henrik disappear off to? I know he went outside but he has been there for a hot minute now..” Bobby worried and everyone started to get up and look outside of the windows for Henrik. Chelsea was just about to open the front door when it slammed open with force. 

“Eeeeek!” Chelsea screamed and dived under the massive wooden table. Everyone turned to the direction of the front door, shocked and worried.

There stood Henrik, sweat drops forming on his forehead, panting. “I looked for it everywhere but I couldn’t find it.. I swear it was there in the morning! I don’t know, where is it, this is not good, not good I say!” Henrik rambled, running his hand through his golden locks. His forest green eyes were wide open and all the color had drained off his cheeks. 

“Woah, calm down buddy! What are you talking about?” Lucas said and walked next to Henrik, putting his firm hand around Henrik’s shoulders.

“The axe.. It’s gone.. Just like that.. It’s not there.. Someone must have taken it..” Henrik mumbled and stared at the floor, his hair hanging forlornly. 

“An axe?!” Hope screamed and fidgeted closer to Noah.

“So, now you are trying to say that there’s not only a stalker out there but that now they are equipped with an axe?! Unbelievable!” Lottie yelled and stomped her foot angrily.

“It’s not Henrik’s fault that the axe is gone! Don’t blame this on him!” Jo hissed and offered Henrik a sympathetic look.

“When did that stalker come so close to the cottage without us noticing?” Rocco pondered and an uncomfortable silence fell over the group.

“Okay, so let’s keep our eyes peeled for anything suspicious and an abandoned axe..” Lucas began to state calmly, but was stopped by Lottie.

“Or an axe-wielding maniac?” She grimaced and rubbed her temples.

“Everyone… Just stop… I don’t want to think about this anymore!” MC suddenly yelled and everyone froze, staring at her mouth agape, “I’m just going to go to sleep right now… I can’t deal with this right now… I’m sorry everyone…” She whimpered and walked towards the bedrooms. The other islanders exchanged worried glances with each other. After a while, Bobby followed her and everyone else continued on with their evening, though more silent and more worried than before.

~*~

MC couldn’t even bother to wash away her makeup or brush her teeth when she just fell down on her bed and curled up into fetal position. Her whole body felt drained and tense. Her mind was blank and a heavy fog covered her thoughts and emotions. She heard the door and slow footsteps approaching, but didn’t even have the strength to turn around. Soon a pair of familiar arms sneaked around her body and pulled her into warmth.

“Bobby?” MC asked feebly and remained unmoving. She needed the confirmation even if she was pretty sure it couldn’t be anyone else. She was all-too-familiar with those arms, that sweet scent and even those footsteps she had heard before. 

“Mhhmm..” Bobby’s voice called out and a small kiss was pressed against the back of MC’s tender neck. They laid there for a long time in complete silence, still completely aware that neither of them had fallen asleep. They listened in on the other islanders sounds - Noah and Hope were having an argument. Henrik was pacing around the cottage, Lucas following him around and trying to calm him down and comfort his nerves. Lottie was reading Chelsea’s tea leaves. Rocco was strumming a happy tune with his ukulele, singing silently along.

“Lass…” Bobby spoke first. “No matter what happens next, we’re all in this together. I’m here for you. And there could still be a logical explanation regarding the axe. Maybe Henrik misplaced it? Or maybe a neighbor needed it and borrowed it without asking?” Bobby suggested and ran his hand through MC’s hair. 

“But the closest neighbors live miles away… It just sounds so far-fetched…” MC sighed and shook her head softly. 

“Yeah… But it’s not impossible, right?” Bobby answered, trying to sound more assured and relaxed than he really was, “If things get bad, we still have cars so we can leave this place whenever. And phones so we can call the police!”

“Why can’t we already call the police? I’m just really freaked out..” MC asked desperately and turned to face Bobby for the first time.

“I don’t think they could do much with the evidence we have. The stalker hasn’t technically tried anything yet and we don’t have any idea of their identity..” Bobby explained with a sad smile on his face. 

“Well, what about the voice message? It sounded really incriminating!” MC huffed and bit her lip anxiously. 

“It could have been very easily faked or set up to sound worrying. We have no proof that an actual crime happened in that recording. Why would anyone send an incriminating recording like that to someone?” Bobby questioned. 

“A crazy person, that’s who..” MC muttered angrily, closing her eyes tightly for a second, wishing that everything would just go back to normal if she wished it hard enough.

“Yeah, I guess that’s fair to say.. But even still, we shouldn’t assume the worst until we have concrete evidence. Let’s just sleep on this. It’s going to be a better day tomorrow!” Bobby tried to cheer MC up and gave her a grin. MC was just starting to calm down a little when they heard the front door slam loudly. 

“Ahh! What was that?!” MC screeched and hid under her duvet. Bobby jumped up fast and ran outside of the room. Silence returned to the bedroom. After a minute, Bobby walked back in, more relaxed than before.

“Henrik and Lucas went to check out the forest. Nothing you should be worried about, lass.” He said and walked next to MC’s bed, kneeling next to it and lifting the duvet just a little to meet MC’s terrified gaze. 

“That sounds dangerous now that we think that stalker might be equipped with an axe..” MC whispered and peered worriedly from under the duvet.

“They’re going to be fine. They took a kitchen knife with then just for safety’s measure.” Bobby informed her brush some hair from her face with his free hand.

“I mean, that’s better than nothing..” MC sighed and relaxed just a little. She was still worried about the safety of Lucas and Henrik, but there wasn’t really anything she could do about it herself either. 

“Just go to sleep, lass.. I’ll watch over you until you have fallen asleep, no matter how long it takes. There’s nothing you need to worry about..” Bobby whispered comfortingly and rubbed his nose against MCs.

“But it’s not even that late yet..” MC protested and looked at the time, “It’s only 8.30 pm..” 

“You’ve had a long day, babe.. And besides,” Bobby said and looked at her conspirically, “We can’t sleep in two days in a row, now can we?” he chuckled and kisses MC’s forehead sweetly.

“Maybe you’re right.” MC laughed and closed her eyes, her lips curling into an adorable smile.

“You know I am always right!” Bobby beamed enthusiastically, brought a chair next to MC’s bed, sat down and began to watch over her until she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, more ABBA! Are there even other bands in Sweden? Kidding! Things are properly starting to heat up! Don't forget to tune in next time. Giant hugs and kisses to anyone reading this, I really appreciate it! xx


	6. Clownery is the new black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC decides to wake up early and is rewarded by a new mystery. Marisol comes up with a fun challenge for the islanders to partake in.

The night started out as calm and silent. MC stirred awake a few times when the other islanders came to the room and were going through their bags, but it wasn’t a big deal. At one point she woke up to Lottie’s snoring. It felt weirdly calming in a sense, to know that she wasn’t alone in the room, to hold onto that small string of familiarity.

The next time MC stirred awake, she felt completely fresh and well-rested. She took a look at her phone - no new messages. She looked at the time - it was 5 am. She heard faint bird song in the distance and smiled to herself. Maybe things would be better today, as Bobby had promised her.

Bobby was no longer in the chair next to her bed, but had moved to the upper bunk. MC couldn’t blame him - it would be extremely uncomfortable to sleep on a wooden chair like that. MC closed her eyes and tried to fall back asleep, but could not. She decided to go for a calming cuppa before anyone else woke up.

MC silently rose up from her bed and tiptoed across the room. She walked to the kitchen and began to boil some water. She chose her favorite tea flavor and waited for the water to boil. Once the water was hot enough, she prepared her tea and walked to the table, sitting down. She looked at the grandfather clock - 5.20 am. It wouldn’t be long before some of the chirpiest islanders would wake up. Gary, maybe Bobby or even Marisol? She made a bet in her head about who would wake up first. She settled on Gary. 

She drank her tea in peace, occasionally peering at the clock. She felt comfortable looking outside of the window opening up to the beautiful lake. It seemed like the day ahead would be as sunny and warm as the day before. 

Suddenly MC snapped out of her thoughts as she heard some footsteps walking towards her from the direction of the bedrooms. They sounded heavy across the wooden flooring. It must be Gary, she thought as she was excitedly waiting for the familiar crane operator’s face to appear from behind the corner.

“Good morning, G-“ MC chirped cheerfully when the footsteps approached closer and closer, “-Jakub!” She corrected as she met up with the form of Jakub instead of Gary. Jakub stared at MC with a slight surprise on his face, evidently startled.

“Oh! Morning, MC. Why are you up so early?” Jakub asked nonchalantly. He was wearing his workout gear and there was a fanny bag around his waist.

“Couldn’t sleep. What’s the deal with you? Going for a jog?” MC smiled and took another sip of her tea. 

“Yeah. I sure do love my morning runs..” Jakub laughed and avoided MC’s gaze. 

“But it’s not even 6 am yet! Isn’t that a little early for a morning run?” MC questioned and furrowed her eyebrows slightly.

“I have a strict schedule at home! I just have not gotten used to the holiday spirit yet, I guess..” Jakub explained, scratching the back of his neck.

“Aren’t you going to wake your other workout buddies up? It could be scary to go there all alone after all that has happened..” MC said worriedly and saw how Jakub tensed up a little, eyes boring into MC’s eyes.

“No, it’s fine! I prefer working out alone anyway..” Jakub answered, seemingly frustrated before he grinned, “I bet I could take on anything or anyone that might be there! Have you not seen my muscles?” He noted proudly.

“Okay, okay! I guess you’re right. Have a good run and stay safe!” MC laughed and watched as Jakub walked out the front door. She looked out from the window after him, still slightly worried.

“Didn’t he act kinda strange just now?” She heard a voice behind her asking. Her body tensed up, alerted and her heart started to beat fast before she recognized that voice.

“Marisol!” MC yelped and turned around to face her friend, “You scared me! I am sorry if I woke you up just now!” she apologized and Marisol just beamed at her.

“No worries, I have been awake for a while,” she smiled and sat next to MC, “But to my earlier question.. Did you think that Jakub was acting weird before?” She questioned conspiratorially.

“Huh, what do you mean?” MC asked, confusion evident in her tone. Marisol sighed deeply.

“Well, he seemed nervous. He avoided your eye contact at first, but then wouldn't look away and he scratched the back of his neck anxiously.” Marisol explained quietly, eyeing whether Priya and Elisa were stirring or not. They both seemed to be in a deep sleep.

“What would he need to be hiding?” MC wondered and drank the last of her tea. 

“I don’t know.. My suggestion is that we keep our eyes peeled for anything strange in his behavior.” Marisol declared and stared MC deeply in her eyes.

“Should we follow him?” MC questioned and Marisol quickly shook her head.

“He’s way too far ahead now. We could never catch up to him. I don’t even know if we could follow him even if we go right before him, he is a personal trainer and a massive gym buff and in a good shape anyway!” Marisol grimaced. 

“I guess you’re right about that..” MC sighed and walked to the kitchen to wash her cup. Marisol followed behind her and leaned against the kitchen counter, her brown eyes twinkling with mischief.

“We should do something fun today..” She whispered and shifted her gaze from side to side.

“Like what?” MC asked, glancing at Marisol but continuing to wash her cup.

“I don’t know, like maybe we should come up with some type of a game or a challenge for the whole group! Tomorrow is the midsummer’s eve so we’re probably going to have plenty of fun then but today is still unplanned and full of possibilities!” Marisol explained and a sly smirk found its way onto her lips.

“Ohh, I know that smile.. Did you come up with an idea?” MC giggled quietly.

“Kind of, but it’s still not completed.. I thought we could hold the first ever Olympics of Love!” Marisol smiled mysteriously.

“A what now?” MC asked all confused and began to wash some other dishes that someone else had left.

“Olympics of Love. But instead of javelins, long jumps or high jumps, the sports should be related to what love and good relationships require, such as exercises on trust, honesty and affection!” Marisol explained excitedly.

“I didn’t think you would be the one to come up with creative ideas like that!” MC chuckled and began to think of possible categories for the Olympics of Love as she continued to wash the dishes diligently.

“I’m full of surprises, MC..” Marisol winked, her cheeks burning just a little. Then Marisol stretched and with that, sauntered out of the kitchen. 

MC finished washing the dishes, walked out of the kitchen and looked at the living room. Elisa and Priya were still sleeping peacefully on the sofas. Tonight it seemed like Jo and Ibrahim got to sleep in the double bed. They were spooning each other, breathing calmly and relaxedly in perfect sync. MC walked to the bedroom she shared with two other couples, went up to her bag and took out new clothes for the day alongside her toiletry. Silently walking into one of the bathrooms, she got ready for the day ahead. 

The rest of the islanders woke up in their own account. The next islanders to show their faces were Gary, Bobby, Henrik, Jo, Hope, Noah and Hannah. When Noah had woken up, the same group as yesterday went for another morning jog. Bobby started to prepare proper breakfast right away, thanking MC for washing the dishes with a loving kiss. Hope and Hannah were sitting on the back terrace, spilling the tea.. Both figuratively and literally. Hope accidentally spilled her tea on her white shirt… Priya and Elisa woke up to her high-pitched screaming, soon joining them on the terrace. Soon enough the rest of the islanders woke up to the smell of delicious breakfast.

“Where’s Gary?” Lottie asked MC as she rubbed her tired eyes and sat next to her on the wooden table. 

“He went for his morning jog with Rahim, Jo and Noah, remember?” MC reminded Lottie and gave her a sympathetic smile.

“He’s supposed to check out the forest this morning with Henrik.. Did he forget about his duty?” Lottie frowned and stretched uncomfortably in her chair. 

“I’m sure he’s going to come back soon.. And Henrik didn’t specify a time, so I think it’s going to be fine..” MC reassured Lottie, who gave her a weak smile.

“I guess you’re right…” She sighed and looked at the direction of most of the other girls, who were discussing something on the back terrace, “Should we join our girlies?” she asked with a smirk, seemingly letting go of the issue with Gary. 

“Sure!” MC answered with joy, getting up from her seat and walking towards the back terrace, Lottie following shortly after her. 

~*~

[Back terrace]  
[Hannah, Hope, Priya, Elisa & Lottie]

“Good morning, MC!” Hannah called out when MC entered the back terrace, “You’re looking more stunning than Psyche in that outfit!” she complimented MC and smiled at her sweetly.

“A what now? Are you calling MC a psycho?” Elisa wondered her mouth agape. 

“Like, in Greek mythology.. Psyche was such a beautiful princess that many men stopped giving offers and bowing down to Aphrodite because of her beauty and then she--” Hannah started to explain excitedly, eyes sparkling. 

“I think we understood the point, thank you Hannah..” Priya smiled, shutting Hannah up.

“Oh yeah.. So I just tried to say that you’re looking beautiful today, MC..” Hannah smiled quietly, playing with her hair absentmindedly.

“Thank you so much, Hannah! I’d argue that Hades would want to steal you away with your beauty!” MC laughed and Hannah looked up to her, smiling widely because MC had understood her somewhat geeky mythological reference and returned it to her.

“So MC, tell me..” Hope whispered and leaned towards MC, quickly glancing at the woods next to them, “Have you gotten any new creepy messages since last evening?” she asked quietly and locked eyes with MC. 

“No I haven’t. I hope it stays that way, too..” MC admitted and dread returned to her body as she thought about the messages and how close they were to the woods right now, sitting here on the back terrace.

“I hope so too..” Priya sighed and smiled sadly at MC, “Let’s try not to think about those messages now. Last evening was intense enough for us..” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you, MC..” Hope apologized and sighed deeply, “I was just worried.. I kept imagining these sounds all night and I really couldn’t sleep that well because of those..” she frowned and furrowed her brows, “That’s why I spilled my tea all over my shirt just earlier this morning and ugh, I feel so groggy..” 

“It’s fine, Hope. I know you didn’t mean ill. I’m.. Sorry about your shirt..?” MC tried to choose her words carefully not to set Hope off and Hope slipped her a small smile. 

“It’s fine.. I really liked that shirt but I’ll wash it when I get home… Or just buy a new one!” She laughed and looked at her now empty tea cup. 

“Where is Chelsea again, by the way?” Priya asked and tried to look into the cottage, tapping her chin thoughtfully. 

“She was still sleeping when I checked that room while walking past it,” Elisa informed the rest and gave them a small grin, “She really likes to sleep in, huh? She slept in yesterday too!” she added joyfully.

“Let’s not hold it against her.. We’re on a holiday so technically we should be able to wake up at any time we want to!” Lottie exclaimed and looked off in the distance. 

“She’s almost as tired as Jakub was yesterday coming back from his jog!” Priya laughed and the girls joined her. MC pondered for a while whether she should bring up her conversation with Jakub in the wee hours of the morning. Well, Marisol had heard them talking too, so there’s a probability that the others would find it out at some point anyway.

“Speaking of Jakub.. This morning, he woke up super early for his morning jog and seemed nervous or flustered when I caught him.. Marisol also heard him and she’s actually the one that thought that he was acting strange. It was quite weird.” MC explained and the rest of the girls looked at her in deep thought.

“I could see him as the type who wakes up before dawn for a workout, though.. Can you specify like.. How was he acting strange?” Hope spoke up and gazed at MC, one of her eyebrows raised. 

“He had some tells. Signs that he was lying or hiding something. At first he avoided my gaze altogether and then wouldn’t tear his eyes away! And then he scratched the back of neck anxiously..” MC explained in a low voice so no one else could hear them. The girls exchanged conspiratorial looks. 

“I wonder if he’s hiding something..” Lottie muttered and furrowed her brows, “I should ask Tarot whether or not that’s the case..” 

“What would he have to hide? We’re in a foreign country and it’s only our second full day here! How many secrets can you come up with in that time?” Priya voiced her doubts.

“Don’t underestimate Jakub.. He was screwing two girls while we were away at Casa Amor!” Lottie hissed and crossed her arms.

“But all of the boys and the weather reporters knew what he was up to.. And it wasn’t too hard for us to figure out the full story either! Is he really smart enough to hide secrets like that?” Hope wondered and took a deep breath, remembering the disaster recoupling and stick of switch ceremony. 

“We agreed with Marisol that we should keep our eyes peeled for any weird behavior from him. It might be nothing but just in case there’s more to this story.. I’d like to be aware of what’s going on in here..” MC looked at each of the girl’s intently. 

“Should we inform the guys about this?” Hannah asked and everyone turned to look at her this time. 

“If you trust your guy enough not to blabber about it around Jakub, I guess..” Lottie frowned and thought about her options.

“I wouldn’t trust Rocco enough with this. He even sleeps in the same bunk bed with Jakub and he hadn’t proven to be the most.. Reliable.. In the past.” Priya reasoned and a faint sound of ukulele could be heard from the cottage. 

“I trust Noah not to speak. He can keep many secrets..” Hope smiled mysteriously and subtly winked at the girls, leaving them confused by her comment.

“I’m not sure about Gary.. He’s a good guy but sometimes he acts before he thinks and he tends to be a very.. Blokey bloke. Like one of the bros. And bros are honest with other bros, you know?” Lottie sighed and bit her lip. 

“I think Lucas would be able to keep a secret. He has this air of mysteriousness to himself as well. And as a physiotherapist there are lots of sensitive information you can’t go and blabber about to anyone.” Hannah smiled and the other girls nodded approvingly.

“Bobby.. He is a sweetie and wouldn’t want to hurt any of us but… I’m not really sure about him. He told the boys about Operation Nope and all.. His main problem is that he tries to be too nice to everyone and accidentally ends up hurting someone in the process. I don’t really hold it against him, though..” MC mumbled nervously, thinking about Bobby. She was torn. She wanted to be completely honest with him and show him that she trusts him but at the same time.. Was the risk worth the reward?

“I get you, girl. We all care about Bobby to pieces but he can be quite a blabber mouth sometimes..” Lottie grimaced and patted MC’s shoulder. 

“What about Chelsea and Jo?” Hannah questioned, “Chelsea is not here, she’s probably still sleeping and Jo is on her morning jog.. Should we inform them about this?” she continued.

“Do you remember what happened last time Chelsea and Jo were involved with a secret?” Elisa hissed and looked somewhat annoyed. How could anyone forget that drama? Ibrahim and Jo sharing a kiss on their date, Elisa telling all about it to Chelsea, Chelsea blabbering about it to the girls, Elisa’s name-calling, sexy tablecloth dancing, the Girl’s day at the beach.. And no one wants to return to that God awful day again. Or so MC thought.

“Are you going to call Chelsea a gossip-sneezer again?” Hope asked all judgmental and frowned at Elisa. 

“I’ve been practicing a sexy tablecloth dance for Gary..” Lottie admitted with a sly smirk on her face, eyeing the tablecloth on the table mischievously. 

“I’m just saying that I wouldn’t trust Chelsea not to go and shout it to the world!” Elisa jeered and tensed up, peering at Hope from underneath her long eyelashes.

“Elisa, for us viewers it kinda looked like you orchestrated that whole thing.. Like that you knew by watching the show that Chelsea struggles to keep her mouth shut and that’s why you deliberately chose to tell her out of all the girls!” Priya chimed in and Elisa shot her a dirty look in return. 

“For Violet Man’s sake, can you all just quit talking about that whole darned thing! I’m not going to hold another heartwarming and unifying speech now for an event that happened nearly a year ago!” MC sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, let’s just let that go. We have enough to think about already as it is!” Hannah mentioned and everyone fell silent for a moment. 

“So.. We are not telling Chelsea and Jo about the whole Jakub dilemma?” Priya suggested quietly and looked at the girls for their reactions.

“If every other girl is in on this plan then I think it would be against Girl Code to leave them out of this..” Lottie sighed and twirled her hair. 

“Let’s just keep a close eye on Chelsea and try to cover for her if she slips..” MC recommended, earning agreeable mumbles and nods from the other girls. Suddenly Bobby opened the terrace door and yelled at the girls.

“Gary came back! Henrik and Gary are now going to visit the forest.. Oh, and breakfast is ready!” He shouted and MC noticed that he had some pancake batter on top of his nose. After hearing that. Lottie jumped up quickly from her chair and ran inside, presumably to say something to Gary before he left. The other girls started to float towards the door as well, leaving MC alone with Bobby. MC was the last to get up as she walked up to Bobby and kissed away the pancake batter. 

“Delicious..” she muttered, giving a playful yet seductive look to Bobby before chuckling and walking past him inside the cottage, hips swinging from side to side. Bobby blushed slightly and touched his nose gently before following MC.

~*~

[Yard & Beach]   
[Everyone else but Jakub]

“Ladies! Gentlemen! Welcome to the first ever Olympics of Love! Today you will be competing in five different categories and whichever couple gains the most points by the end is the winner and will be crowned the Couple of the Century. Winning a category gives you three points, coming second two points and being third one point. Lower placements will not grant any points. Us singles will not be competing. Elisa will film this spectacle and the rest of us will be judges. Any questions?” Marisol declared grandly, all of the couples gathered in front of her. Bobby lifted his hand.

“But I AM The Honorable Judge Bobby. Are you challenging my Judge-hood?” Bobby yelled and looked betrayed, a haughty expression on his face. Some of the islanders giggled at his comment and he couldn’t help but crack a small smile at the sound of laughter. 

“You’re in a couple. If you were a judge, MC would need to complete this challenges all alone.” Rocco reminded of him and Bobby just nodded. Then Elisa raised her hand.

“Why can’t I couple up with Marisol for this game or whatever? Priya could be with Rocco and we would be good to go, right?” She winked at Marisol, who sighed at her enthusiasm but also smiled cheekily.

“Because we need judges to help us out. Plus I came up with all of these challenges so I’m the one responsible for everything going as it should,” Marisol explained, “But I like how you think..” She winked at Elisa, who winked back at her. Were they.. Flirting? Or just messing around?

“So, let’s start with the first challenge. Please follow us.” Marisol smiled and began to lead the group to the woods. MC felt her pulse quicken the closer they went. 

“Do we have to do the challenges here?” She asked quietly and frowned. Bobby took ahold on her hand and gave it a firm yet loving squeeze.

“Sadly, yes. But only this one challenge is going to be held here. The rest of them will be somewhere else.” Marisol explained and MC relaxed just a little. They continued walking and arrived next to a small path. There was a thin string zigzagging from tree to tree, some obstacles along the way. Marisol was holding a bandana.

“So, the rules are simple. One of you will guide the other through this obstacle course. The one guided will be blindfolded. It doesn’t matter which one of you is guiding and which one of you is guided. One couple will go at a time and your finishing time will be taken by Rocco. You’re not allowed to help the other couples, but you’re allowed to cheer them on. The fastest couple will win.” Priya explained the rules and quiet whispers could be heard between the couples.

“So, this seems to be trust-building exercise. Which role do you want to take?” Bobby asked considerately and they both looked at the obstacle course. MC considered her options. As the one guided through the obstacle course, you have less to think about and less responsibility. But at the same time, you need a whole lot of trust. As the one guiding, you have all of your senses to use but you’re more at fault if you do badly. 

“Let’s do rock, paper, scissors. Winner will be the one being guided through the course.” MC suggested and Bobby nodded. 

“Rock, paper, scissors!” they yelled at the same time. Bobby picked paper. MC picked rock. So that meant that the MC was supposed to guide Bobby through the course.

“Are you fine with this result?” Bobby made sure and MC just nodded, “Great! Now we’ll just have to wait for our turn! You’ll do just fine, I’m sure of that!” Bobby gleamed at MC.

Jo and Ibrahim took on the obstacle course first. Ibrahim was blindfolded as Jo gave him orders. They sure were fast, their own real problem being how Jo stubbornly believed that Ibrahim could jump beyond a stick that was probably easier to go below.. Their time was 1 minute 23 seconds.

Next it was Lottie and Gary’s turn. Lottie was blindfolded as Gary gave her stern orders, seemingly familiar with this in his workplace, where precise and clear orders are a must. Their speed wasn’t quite as fast ad Jo and Ibrahim’s, but they still did great.. Until Lottie walked into a tree and nearly fell down, screaming profanities at Gary afterwards. They finished on time 1 minute 37 seconds.

After that it was Chelsea and Henrik’s go. Surprisingly, they had decided for Chelsea to give the orders… Not a good choice. Chelsea got distracted a few times and accidentally gave wrong directions once. Luckily for them, Henrik seemed to know the forest very well, which helped them out enormously. So, thanks to Henrik’s prior knowledge on the forests and hiking skills, they finished at 1 minute 35 seconds.

“I can’t believe they beat us!” Lottie jeered and rolled her eyes. Gary tried to say something to her, but Lottie wouldn’t listen and just turned to face away from him angrily. 

Then it was Bobby and MC’s time to shine. Bobby put on the blindfold as they got ready. MC felt a tinge of excitement and anxiety in the pit of her stomach, but tried to remain cool and level-headed. She had seen some couples to try this before now so she had quite a clear picture on what to do on each obstacle. 

“Okay babe, soon you’ll run into a tree. Go to your left. Yes, now go straight. More to your left! Perfect,” she ordered Bobby, “Now go down! There’s a twig. Good. Walk faster! Now to your right!” they were close to the finishing line when a cold rush ran down MC’s spine. She felt a pair of unfamiliar eyes on her. She turned to her right and saw a sudden flash of movement... And then it was gone. Her breath hitched as the anxiety in her stomach took ahold of her.

“Lass, what next?” Bobby asked as he walked straight into a tree, “Ouch! Thanks for warning me about this!” he laughed and found his way around the tree himself.

“Oh! Sorry. Now the path is clear. Run!” MC got back to her senses and they made it over the finishing line. Other islanders cheered. MC glanced at the direction she had seen the movement in, but saw nothing. Maybe it was just her imagination running wild..

Bobby and MC finished on time 1 minute 29 seconds, beating everyone else but Jo and Ibrahim so far. MC felt a pang of guilt in her chest as she heard the result.. If only she had been more alert.. Bobby just smiled and told her she did well, reassuring her with a quick hug. She wanted to tell him about the movement she thought she saw, but it was the next couple’s turn before she could utter a word.

After them Hope and Noah did their run. Hope’s eyes were blindfolded and Noah gave her short and efficient orders. They would’ve done better if Noah could only keep up pace with Hope, who was apparently making her own decisions and judgments before Noah could even help her out. Their final time was 1 minute 42 seconds. 

Last but not least, it was Lucas and Hannah’s go on the course. Hannah guided Lucas, who was quite fast and flexible on their run. Hannah hesitated a few times with her orders, which made them lose some seconds. They did well, though, finishing on 1 minute 30 seconds. 

“So, three points go to Ibrahim and Jo, two points go to MC and Bobby and one point goes to Hannah and Lucas! Great job!” Marisol announced and wrote the scores down into her notebook. MC gave one more glance to the forest as they walked away from it, feeling more relaxed the farther away they walked from the area.

“Next up we have the kissing challenge! Whichever couple can come up with most kissing styles and perform them in 30 seconds!” Priya told and licked her lips excitedly, “Let’s get lippy!” she laughed as Rocco started the timer. 

MC and Bobby started with simple kisses; pecks to cheek, forehead, lips, nose, jawline, hand, ear.. They also shared some weird kisses that they had never tried before; Bobby kissed MC’s tongue, eyebrows, big toe and naval. MC traced a heart shape on Bobby’s skin with her kiss, then gave butterfly kisses, kissed his shoulder, elbow and eyelids. They shared an eskimo kiss, single lip kiss, air kiss and a vampire kiss to finish it all off. There were plenty of giggling to be heard as Rocco announced that the time has run out. 

“So.. If we counted correctly, results are these.. Jo and Ibrahim came up with 12 different kisses, Lucas and Hannah 13 kisses, Henrik and Chelsea 15 kisses, Hope and Noah 16 kisses, Lottie and Gary 18 kisses and MC and Bobby 20 kisses. So three points to MC and Bobby, two points to Lottie and Gary and Hope and Noah got one point!” Marisol announced and Bobby and MC highfived.

“How was that more difficult than the first challenge?” Ibrahim wondered and bit his lips, cheeks glowing red. 

“This was such good material for my vlog!” Elisa chuckled and looked back at the footage, “Wow Lucas, you REALLY did that?!” she gasped and Lucas looked embarrassed. 

“Oh em gee! What did he do?” Chelsea squealed and looked curiously at Lucas. Hannah smirked and whispered something in Lucas’ ear. Lucas’ body tensed up at the whisper.

“You’ll see it later in the vlog, Chels!” Elisa promised Chelsea with a grin who at first looked like she wanted to protest but let it go as they moved onto the next challenge.

Marisol led the group to the hiking trail. Everyone seemed confused at the choice of place before Marisol announced their next challenge, “This wouldn’t be proper Olympics if there wasn’t a physical challenge!” she chuckled. Some of the islanders cheered, others sighed deeply, “So, there’s this annual competition in Sweden’s neighboring country Finland called ‘wife-carrying contest’, where the man carries their female teammate through an obstacle course.. But seeing as we already had an obstacle course, we’ll just do the hiking trail. There are three main styles for the man to carry their wife - classic piggyback, a fireman’s carry over one shoulder or Estonian-style, meaning wife is upside-down on the man’s back with her legs over the man’s neck and shoulders. Usually in Finland, the fastest contestant gets his wife’s weight worth of beer, but here it just equals to points in the Olympics. We are all going to run 400 meters and the fastest couple wins. There are no obstacles. Priya has walked to the 200 meter mark and Rocco is waiting in the final 400 meter mark. Everyone’s free to pick their carrying style. Understood?” Marisol inquired. Everyone nodded, amused at the whole idea of the challenge.

“I wish I could actually win the beer..” Gary sighed sadly and looked ahead on the trail.

“Go to Finland and try your luck next time when they have this competition!” Henrik laughed and stretched to warm up. 

“I don’t think we’re winning this one..” Bobby sighed, looking at the competition, but soon smiled, “But at least we’ll have a good laugh! Which way do you want to be carried?” 

“Let’s just make it easy for both of us and go with the classic piggyback!” MC laughed and Bobby kneeled down for her. Everyone was getting ready, guys grunting and girls laughing and screaming. Ibrahim and Noah had decided to try the fireman’s carrying style, while Henrik and Lucas stuck with the classic piggyback. Only Gary had dared to take on the Estonian-style, which caused laughter between the islanders.

“Ready.. Set.. Go!” Marisol yelled and everyone started running. Bobby was doing better than MC had expected, but couldn’t quite match the speed of the others. His breathing was heavy as he crossed the half-way mark with Priya cheering at them encouragingly. They made it to the end, although last, but at the end everyone was laughing and talking about their weird experience.

“I wish someone could carry me..” Elisa pouted and looked at the guys hopefully. None of them seemed to notice her pleading look as they were worn out from the challenge. 

“So, results.. MC and Bobby finished last, before them Henrik and Chelsea finished, and before them Lucas and Hannah.. Hope and Noah finished third, Jo and Ibrahim second and the winners were.. Gary and Lottie! Congratulations!” Marisol announced and Gary seemed elated.

“Get in there! Estonian-style never disappoints!” He fist-bumped the air and Lottie chuckled at his excitement, praising him for his speed and technique. 

“With two more rounds to go, I’ll announce the mid-way results. So Chelsea and Henrik have 0 points.. Sorry guys..” She looked sadly at the pair, who just shrugged.

“At least we’ve had a blast!” Henrik laughed and Chelsea agreed with him.

“Then we have Hannah and Lucas with 1 point.. Next are Hope and Noah with two points. Then we’re tied with the rest of the couples having 5 points each.” Marisol continued.

“We still have a shot at winning, lass! I’m just hoping there’s no more physical challenges..” Bobby whispered and gave MC an encouraging squeeze on her shoulder. 

The squad followed Marisol back to the cottage, where they divided the group into girls and boys. Girls got to stay in the living room as the boys were ushered into one of the bedrooms, where Rocco followed them. At the table a bunch of old magazines, scissors and glue waited for them. The girls eyed them all confused before Marisol began to explain the challenge.

“So, you’ll have to create a mutual vision board from these magazines. You’ll have to pick out ten pictures that you wish could represent your future with your partner and glue them on these papers. The boys will be doing the same in the other room. Each picture that matches gets you a point. They don’t have to obviously be exactly the same picture, but as long as the ideas are similar, it’s fine. If there are ties, then we’ll look into the specifics of a picture. You’ll have 15 minutes to complete your vision board. All set? Go!” Marisol explained and declared that the challenge has started.

Each girl began to look through the magazines in a hurry and there were some arguments about the magazines between some of the girls. Soon the silence fell over the group as they became really focused on their goal. MC found some cute pictures from the magazines, such as a picture of a golden retriever, a comfy bakery, cupcake and a picture of three children. She wasn’t sure whether Bobby wants three children, but she had always imagined herself with three beautiful kids, so she just went with it. She found more pictures that warmed her heart. Too soon the time ran out and they had to get their hands off of the vision boards. MC luckily managed to find and glue all ten pictures and smiled at her board. It was everything she had ever dreamt of and seeing it on this board just made her more determined to one day achieve these goals.

The boys came out with their vision boards and they set them next to their girl’s respective vision board. The judges started to go through the vision boards, comparing them in quiet whispers. Elisa was still recording everything that was going on, sometimes filming the reactions of the islanders, sometimes the judges and sometimes the vision boards. After five painful minutes of comparing, they came up with results.

“Okay, so… In Hope and Noah’s vision board three things out of ten matched. In Jo and Ibrahim’s board five things out of then matched. In Gary and Lottie’s board six things matched. In Hannah and Lucas’ board seven things matched. In MC’s and Bobby’s board nine things matched and our winners are.. Henrik and Chelsea! All of their pictures matched!” Marisol smiled and Chelsea squealed gleefully. 

“Babe! We finally got some points!” She smiled widely and threw her arms around Henrik’s neck, nuzzling him close. Henrik laughed and planted a small kiss on Chelsea’s forehead.

“How can you match each picture?” Hope asked in confusion and looked at Chelsea and Henrik’s vision board. They were nearly identical..

“Brilliant minds think alike! I’m not an interior designer for nothing!” Chelsea winked at her and poked her head twice, “Oh em gee, this must mean I’m like, the greatest interior designer here! I’m so honored!” she yelped happily.

“Um… You’re the only interior designed here..” Lottie mumbled, “and I don’t even know how that is related to anyth--” she continued when MC nudged her.

“Let her have this one.. Can’t you see how ecstatic she is?” MC whispered in Lottie’s ear and she quickly shut her mouth, “Congratulations, Chelsea and Henrik! Your vision board is totally bang on!” MC congratulated the couple and both of them flashed her a huge grin as a sign of gratitude, “We did great as well, babe!” She beamed at Bobby and looked down at their board, “You want three kids as well?” she asked and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes! I’ve always dreamt of having three kids.. I don’t care about their genders but I think that’s the perfect amount of kids.. They’ll always have friends but there’s still not a hoard of them!” Bobby explained with a warm smile on his face, sneaking his arm around MC’s waist.

“We both also put a picture of a ring on the board.. Wink wink, nudge nudge..” MC winked at Bobby playfully and Bobby blushed in return, avoiding her gaze for a second before grinning back at her.

“Be a good girl and I may put a ring on you..” He laughed and booped her, “boop!”

“Boop..” it was MC’s turn to blush as she booped him back, now imagining about Bobby proposing to her.. Their perfect wedding.. Bobby waiting for her at the altar in a nice tux.. Her wearing the most gorgeous outfit.. MC came back to reality when Marisol announced the last challenge.

“Girls! Get your makeup bags and wash your faces if you have any makeup on!” Marisol ordered them and the girls quickly ran off, looking for their cosmetics. They came back with their makeup pouches and Marisol continued her orders, “So the last challenge is that the boy must apply makeup on their girl without the girl helping them out at all with the products and applying techniques. The girl’s eyes must be closed the whole time. The nicest and most correct look will win. Remember that this is the last challenge and after this we will crown the winners!” Marisol continued and the girls exchanged nervous looks with each other. They all sat down on a chair, closing their eyes, boys standing in front of them.

“Goodbye my beautiful face..” Chelsea winced from next to MC.

“You better make me look fierce!” Lottie told Gary, who answered with a nervous laugh.

“Why do you have so much makeup?” Noah asked, confusion evident in his tone.

“I promise I’ll try my best, lass!” Bobby promised with a small hint of nervousness in his voice. 

“Okay boys! Are you ready? You’ll have ten minutes. Now.. Set, ready, go!” Priya announced and the sound of desperate sound of products being thrown around in their bags began. 

“Should I start with the eyes?” Lucas wondered, “Eyes are the mirror of the soul after all..” he continued thoughtfully and the girls had to stifle a laugh. 

MC felt something cold on her face. Possibly primer? Or maybe liquid foundation? Bobby smeared something on her face with this bare hands.

“Oh, don’t they actually use some weird sponges with this?” Bobby wondered and looked around for a beauty blender in MC’s makeup pouch.

“Is this lip gloss?” Ibrahim wondered out loud. 

“No dude, that’s like for eyebags or something!” Henrik tried to help his mate out. 

“Okay, next.. Baking? I was once googling what that word meant in the beauty industry as I heard it for the first time and found some interesting looks.. I prefer my baking..” Bobby whispered to MC who was rather surprised that Bobby even knew anything about that term.

“Oh no!” There was a loud clang as something fell to the floor, “Well, that’s ruined.. Oops..” Noah cringed and sounded genuinely sorry. Priya gasped loudly.

“Goodbye 70£…” she whispered quietly, not thinking about the rules and her responsibility as a judge not to give anything away. Hope sighed dramatically, but remained quiet. 

“What even is this? Why is it this color?” Gary questioned and let out a defeated sigh.

“Okay, so now I’ve contoured the face.. I guess this looks okay? I hope so.. Your cheekbones are gleaming, lass!” Bobby laughed and looked around for something in the bag, “Okay, right.. Eyes. Better prime them first!” he almost sounded like an expert. 

“Oh geez, I went over the lip’s natural line.. Well, let’s just go with it then!” Henrik chuckled and really went in on Chelsea’s poor lips.

“How can some girls go through all of this trouble every day? This is so difficult..” Lucas asked out loud and was nervously tapping something. 

Bobby was really concentrating on blending the colors together.. After that he put on a few layers of mascara without poking MC’s eyes, put on some eyeliner with surprising precise and finally moved onto her lips. He lined them and added some liquid lip. MC wondered which colors he had chosen for this..

“One more minute left!” Rocco announced and some yelps of panic were heard.

“What!? I’m not nearly finished!” Ibrahim gulped and looked for something from Jo’s bag in clear panic and hurry. 

“This is a hot mess..” Gary sighed deeply and closed the lid of some product. 

“It looks like it’s made by a five-year-old!” Noah proclaimed desperately. 

“Now, the finishing touches.. Let’s settle this bad boy..” Bobby whispered and MC could feel something slightly wet against her skin.

“And.. Let go of the brushes and makeup products!” Priya announced and the boys backed off. The girls opened their eyes and looked around before pulling out their phones and it’s front camera. 

MC looked at Bobby’s masterpiece. She had to admit.. It was better than she could have imagined. Sure, some of the contouring was rough around the edges and he had chosen her a lip color she usually never wore, but otherwise.. It was fine. Especially compared to the other girls.

Chelsea’s lips were always luscious, but especially today they really stood out.. They were overlined, overly large and bright red. Her eyeshadow was just one color - light blue - and not blended at all. Her cheeks were bright pink. 

Hope’s eyebrows were three times as thick as they were normally. The foundation Noah has used was too light for Hope’s natural skin color as well. There was no visible attempt of contouring. 

Hannah had way too much mascara on, some of it on her cheeks and under her eyes. She had like four different eyeshadow colors on her lids, and none of them matched each other that well. There was an attempt at blending them, but it just made it look like someone had just puked. 

Gary had used blush as eyeshadow and eyeshadow as blush and contour. Lottie’s cheeks were blue and eyes red. Lottie had some eyeliner on, but the lines were uneven and wobbly. Her lips were hot pink in color. 

Jo’s contouring was very rough and at times in a wrong place altogether, creating a blocky look. She looked like a raccoon with her black eyeshadow and there was a lot of black fallout on her cheeks. Her lips were outlined with dark pink and her actual lips were nude in color. 

The girls looked at each other, bursting out in laughter. The boys were looking around embarrassed, quietly whispering between each other. The judges were looking at each masterpiece, Elisa filming everything with much enthusiasm. 

“Your makeup actually looks good, MC! I was certainly much worse at makeup when I first started out!” Chelsea praised MC’s makeup and giggled at the memory. 

“My favorite eyeshadow palette is.. Ruined.. Rest in peace, my sweet prince..” Hope whimpered and picked up an expensive looking eyeshadow palette. Most of the colors had fallen out and were all mixed together. 

“We’re ready to announce the results of the last challenge! One point goes to… Gary and Lottie! Points for the attemption of eyeliner, we all struggle with it!” Marisol smiled at Gary and Lottie who exchanged surprised yet happy glances. 

“And two points go to… Henrik and Chelsea! Good following with the current trends, Henrik - Clownery is really in right now!” Priya smirked and Chelsea let out a contented squeal. 

“And lastly, three points go to.. Bobby and MC! We’re really impressed with your makeup skills, Bobby! Have you done this before?” Marisol asked inquisitively and Bobby shrugged.

“No, not really.. I’ve watched some videos on youtube though. They’re kinda fun to watch!” He explained with a grin and there was a small round of applause for his makeup skills. 

“So… We have the results.. The winning couple of Olympics of Love is… Bobby and MC!” Marisol announced and deafening applause was heard as Elisa zoomed in on to Bobby and MC’s surprised faces.

“Speech! Speech! Speech!” Chelsea chanted some of the other islanders joined her. Bobby cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

“I want to thank my lovely lass, MC, for making this possible with me. We nailed most of the challenges and she always believed in me and encouraged me. I also want to thank Marisol for coming up with this wonderful idea, you know how much I loved the challenge days on the island… And last of all, I want to thank everyone who partook in this event. Without you lot it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun and I’m really glad we got to gather together like this for this week even if this hasn’t been completely smooth sailing!” Bobby said, his eyes glistening at some points. Marisol walked up to Bobby and MC, shook their hands and handed them some cute flower crowns as their crowns. Bobby and MC put them on and smiled at filming Elisa proudly, holding each other’s hands tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Olympics of Love.. You don't know how difficult it was to come up with the challenges at first! Not the scariest content, but the suspense is always there.. Do you have any theories about Jakub's behavior?


	7. (Not clickbait) (Gone WRONG) #PrayForMC #UnbelievableFootage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC decides to go for a cooling little swim. What will happen when Bobby and MC get to share the double bed tonight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch out! Some little steamier content ahead! Read at your own risk.

[Living room]  
[Chelsea, Jo]

“That game earlier was so much fun! We obviously didn’t win, but I think Rahim and I did well enough!” Jo boasted happily, sitting on one of the armchairs relaxedly. MC had asked Jo and Chelsea to have a small talk with them two about the entire Jakub situation.

“Pretty much everyone did well in some category! I can’t wait to see Elisa’s vlog so I’ll know what Lucas did in that kissing challenge!” Chelsea laughed and grinned. MC just smiled at those two, figuring out how to break the ice with them.

“Did you sleep in again today, Chelsea?” MC asked softly and Chelsea nodded.

“Yeah! I love sleeping in whenever I can!” She said positively and played with her hair, looking outside of one of the windows. Most of the other islanders were playing volleyball. 

“Well, we’re on a holiday now, so you should take advantage of that!” Jo grinned and joined Chelsea in watching the game just as Ibrahim scored a point for his team, “Yeah! Go, Rahim!” she yelled happily and clapped her hands together joyfully. MC cleared her throat and the two ladies turned to look at her quizzically.

“So today I woke up super early, before six. And guess who woke up next?” She said quietly, worried that someone would hear them. 

“Gary?” Jo guessed, rising a single eyebrow at MC.

“Bobby!” Chelsea yelped and MC quickly brought her index finger in front of her own mouth, shushing Chelsea.

“Not so loud.. And no, it was neither of them. Jakub woke up first, ready for a morning jog..” MC explained and looked around in case anyone were to come in. 

“Seriously? And it wasn’t even 6 am yet?” Jo questioned, clearly surprised. MC nodded and continued to speak.

“Yeah.. And I can understand if he enjoys a morning jog, but it was still so early.. And not only that, he was acting kinda… strange?” MC explained and furrowed her brows.

“How so?” Chelsea wondered and looked confused.

“He had some tells. Like, he seemed nervous. At first he avoided my gaze and then he wouldn’t look away!” MC explained and was disturbed by Chelsea.

“You have that kind of effect on many boys!” she joked and winked at MC playfully. MC eyed her cautiously before flashing a small smile.

“I guess I do.. But!” she wanted to continue with the goss about Jakub, “He also scratched his neck nervously and he even seemed flustered. Marisol had woken up before so she also saw what’s going on and she thought he was acting off is the first place.” 

“How many people know of his weird actions?” Jo asked quietly and leaned a little closer.

“Well, obviously Marisol.. And I also talked about it with the other girls in the morning. We made a pack that we can tell about it to our guy if we trust him not to say a word..” MC explained, nervous for the girl’s reaction of knowing that they’re the last to know.

“And you didn’t think about telling us? Why?” Jo jeered and frowned annoyedly.

“You were on your morning jog, Chelsea was sleeping and then the Olympics of Love started when I saw both you and Chelsea!” She quickly explained, Jo’s face softening after the explanation.

“Oh, I guess that’s a fair point…” Jo sighed apologetically and smiled weakly. 

“So, don’t go speak about this with just anyone. Especially not to Jakub. Don’t talk about this around him. We aid we’ll keep our eyes peeled for any other weird behaviour.” MC said sternly, staring deeply into first Jo’s and then Chelsea’s eyes.

“I’ll try my best!” Chelsea promised and looked somewhat uncomfortable under MC’s demanding state, “I don’t want to hurt people by gossiping.. It’s just an instinct! But I’ll try my hardest not to spill, okay..” she said sadly.

“I won’t tell a soul.” Jo promised shortly and was about to say something else, when someone barged in the cottage, panting. The girls turned to face the front door in surprise. Standing in the doorway was Jakub, forehead glistening with sweat and breathing heavily.

“Oh, hi Jakub! You just missed the funniest thing!” Chelsea began and MC’s heart nearly stopped, “We had a cool competition between the couples! There were five different categories, like wife-carrying and crafting a vision board! Marisol came up with the idea and it was so much fun! Oh, Bobby and MC won!” Chelsea explained excitedly and MC silently thanked God, sweet baby Jesus and Violet man for the safety of their secret.. At least for now. 

Jakub eyed the girls with a tired smile and took a deep breath, “That sounded fun, sorry I missed it.. Well, I’m exhausted. I’m going to take a little nap..” he muttered and walked in the direction of the bedrooms. He didn’t even bother to eat or shower, but headed straight for the beds. MC quickly turned to Chelsea and Jo, giving them a doubtful glance.

“You saw that? He went to sleep again..” MC whispered to the duo quietly, leaning close to them so there was no way that Jakub could hear her whispering.

“To be fair, he has been up before six. And he took a long jog,” Jo whispered back, shrugging her shoulders, “Maybe we’re just overanalyzing this situation?” 

“I was up even before him and I partook in the Olympics but I don’t feel tired!” MC protested and pouted.

“And he always takes such good care of his hygiene and now he didn’t even bother to shower although he was all sweaty and gross..” Chelsea reminded them and they all fell quiet. 

“Yeah, okay. That’s quite unlike him.” Jo admitted and furrowed her brows, thinking hard about something, “We should inform the other girls about this at some point. He came back even later today than yesterday, too..” she added.

“Sure. Let’s see if we can squeeze in a quiet moment tonight and have a little Girl’s talk,” MC smiled and stood up from the sofa, “Good talk, girls. Let’s see what others are up to.” MC took an apple from the table and headed outside the front door.

~*~  
[Lake]  
[Gary, Lucas, Lottie, Hannah, Priya & Bobby]

MC decided to go for a dip in the lake for the first time during their trip. She had debated going in for a few times before, but this time she was determined to actually make it to the lake without distractions or other changes of plans. She had put on her favourite swimwear and was feeling good about herself. To her surprise, some of the other islanders were already in the water and some were sitting on the dock, watching over the others. Lottie, Bobby and Priya were in the water as Gary, Hannah and Lucas were sitting on the dock, talking with water bottles by their sides. MC strode to the dock, people turning their heads to take a look at her.

“Your looks would but sirens to shame, MC!” Lottie shouted from the water and gave MC a small wave and swam closer to the docks. 

“Thanks, hun!” MC smiled and looked at the islanders. Lucas gave her a small nod.

“Going for a swim?” He asked with a nonchalant expression, relaxing in the bright sunlight.

“That’s the plan,” MC laughed and put her towel on the railing of the dock. She stretched and looked at the duo in the water, “Now watch out everybody, I’m jumping in!” she yelled and did the most epic jump in the water. Some of the islanders screamed, some laughed, some clapped their hands at the performance. 

MC felt refreshed as soon as she had hit the water. It cooled her down after a day in the sun, but it wasn’t too cold for her liking either. 

“That was the best jump I have ever seen in real life, lass!” Bobby had made his way next to MC and splashed her with some cool lake water.

“Oh? If war is what you want…” MC smiled mysteriously and got ready for a huge splash, “Then war is what you’re gonna get!” she yelled and splashed Bobby back. Bobby splashed her right back, and that was the beginning of a great splashwar. Soon, Lottie and Priya joined in on the battle and there was no end to their laughter and yells that were soon drowned by the sound of water. The battle came to a sudden end when Bobby dove under MC and picked her up, holding her up in the air for approximately 10 seconds before lowering her back in the water. 

“That was so much fun! I felt like a kid again.” Priya laughed and was trying to stabilize her breathing, grinning from ear to ear.

“I don’t know about you guys, but as a kid I really wanted to a mermaid,” Lottie admitted, cheeks colored pink from either the excitement of the battle or embarrassment from admitting to her childhood dream, “That’s actually how I first got acquainted with magic and the occult.. I tried to find a spell that could turn me into a mermaid and fell into a rabbit hole of magic, spells, law of attraction and paganism..” she finished and took a deep breath.

“I love the idea of being a mermaid! In my childhood, some other kids kept telling me I look like Ariel and I really admired her.. For so many years I wished that I could find my Prince Charming just like she did..” Hannah answered excitedly, before giving a faraway-look into the distance, clearly thinking about something in depth. Lucas squeezed her hand, but looked somewhat unsure of what to do or say next.

“Lottie, do you remember the show H2O?” MC asked and turned to Lottie, whose eyes sparked up at the mention of the Australian TV-show. 

“Yes! I watched every episode of that show! Did you watch it too?” She asked, trying her best to hide how ecstatic she was that someone had mentioned the show. 

“Yeah! It was a good show. Who was your favourite mermaid?” MC asked and smiled at Lottie.

“Oh, totally Rikki! She was fierce!” Lottie smirked and started to list some reasons why Rikki was the best mermaid in the show, “Though I’ve done Phoebe Tonkin’s makeup once and she seemed really cool in the real life!” she added in the end.

“I used to really relate to Emma..” Hannah mumbled, “I wanted to be more like Rikki, who was always so honest and radical, or Cleo, who was clumsy yet charming, but I always felt like the Emma of my friend group. Smart, reliable, boring Emma..” she sighed.

“Emma was cool too! Without her, Rikki and Cleo would have been in much more trouble way more often!” Bobby exclaimed in an attempt to comfort Hannah. Hannah and MC freeze and turned to face Bobby, faces unreadable. 

“Wait..” MC began but Lottie cut her short.

“You watched H2O too!?” she asked surprised, mouth agape, “This is such a revelation! Who was your favourite? Did you want to be a merman too? Did you ever swim in a lake or a pool or the sea pretending to have a mermaid tail?” she asked a plethora of questions. 

“My little sister used to love the show, so I occasionally watched it with her..” Bobby mumbled, seemingly little embarrassed, “I liked Cleo.. She was so much fun. She was clumsy and little insecure just like me.” he admitted and looked away from the girls.

“Aw, that’s so sweet, Bobby! There’s no reason to be ashamed about watching so-called girl’s shows! I’m sure a lot of us girls watched so-called boys’ shoes as well!” MC tried to cheer up Bobby, who gave her a small grin.

“I was quite old already when the show came out so I didn’t watch it much, but now I think I should!” Priya joined in to the conversation, laughing. 

“Gary! We need to binge-watch the show when we get back home!” Lottie yelled and Gary expectantly. Gary gave her a broad grin.

“Sounds great, Teetee!” Gary chuckled and blew a kiss at Lottie, “And then when we visit Australia, we can go to the places they used to film the show in and pretend to be mermaids together!” he said jokingly, which Lottie seemed to take a tad too seriously.

“Oh my gosh, yes! Let’s buy us mermaid tails, too! It’s apparently good exercise to swim with a mermaid tail as it weighs a ton so it adds a little something something compared to swimming without a tail!” Lottie explained excitedly and Gary frowned a little at the idea.

“You could say that it’s a fin-tastic workout!” Bobby chimed in and gave an overly-dramatic wink, letting his pun sink into. Most of the islanders laughed at it, while Lucas gave a small frown. 

“Swimming with a heavy tail that districts the movement of your feet underwater sounds like a hazard waiting to happen in my opinion..” He sighed and rubbed his thigh anxiously. 

“Yeah, I’d rather go to a gym and a normal swim afterwards..” Gary shrugged and looked at Lottie, “Let’s just watch the show and go to the beach without tails, yeah?” he suggested with a small smile. 

“Fine..” Lottie frowned but was soon in a good mood once again, “As a Scorpio I just really love water, you know?” She said contently and began to float on her back in the water.

“Don’t scorpions usually live in deserts or something?” Bobby asked, confused. Lottie threw him an incredulous look and rolled her eyes.

“But Scorpio is a water sign! Astrology, you know?” She stated bluntly and closed her eyes, trying to relax while floating peacefully. 

MC decided to go for an actual swim instead of just chilling in the water near the docks. She didn’t know how quickly it would become too deep so she decided not to swim too far and remained close enough for others to hear her if she shouted. She swam around, letting the water melt away her worries and stress. The sun was warm and bright, water was a gorgeous shade of blue and a bird’s were giving out their best performance.. She stopped for a while, listening to the sounds of nature.. Until she heard something.. Odd. 

She stayed completely still and listened carefully. It sounded like the most wonderful music she had ever heard.. Was someone playing the violin? That doesn’t make sense.. They’re stranded in the middle of nowhere with closest neighbors miles away. Still, it was such an enchanting tune, beckoning her to follow.. MC’s head felt light and she started to swim towards the sound instinctively, without being able to stop herself. She was in a complete trance until she heard a loud splash sound, as if someone had thrown a rock next to her in the water. She came to her senses, panic starting to flow through her veins. She had swam farther in her trance as she had originally planned to and she could not feel any land under her feet. 

“Geez, I better turn back now.. What was that melody?” She muttered quietly and turned back to face the rest of the islanders, beginning to swim towards them. The birds had fallen silent and the water began to feel cooler. MC was swimming, determined to get back to her friends rather sooner than later, when she felt something cold and slimy against her left angle, gripping her tight. 

She tried to break free, thinking it was probably the seaweed or something stuck to the lake’s floor. Then she felt a soft yank, something pulling her in the opposite direction of where she wanted to go. At first she thought she had imagined it, but then there was another, more forceful yank, trying to pull her underwater. That’s when she decided that it was not seaweed or her imagination. She screamed from the bottom of her lungs, alerting the other islanders. Bobby didn’t hesitate, and began to swim to her right away at his top speed. Lucas and Gary quickly jumped into the water as well and the girls stayed behind, frozen in place. 

There was one final powerful yank, causing MC to go underwater for a few seconds, before she felt the strange touch disappear. She got back up, water all up her nose, giving her a hard time with breathing. She coughed out the water and began to tremble after the adrenaline started to leave her body. The guys made it to her and worriedly began to ask a lot of questions.

“Let’s just go to the shore or the dock. Now.” MC said quietly and the guys nodded, beginning to swim. MC tried to swim, but felt tears pricking her eyes and a burning sensation in her throat and nose. Bobby noticed that she was struggling, and quickly picked her up, carrying her the entire way to the dock. When they sat her down to the dock, she began to sob. The girls quickly came next to her, wrapping their arms around her and demanding to know what had happened.

“I was just swimming.. And then.. I heard some kind of music.. And I just followed it.. And Then I noticed.. I had swam too far out and.. I tried to swim back but.. Something.. Grabbed my ankle! It was all wet and slimy and disgusting.. And I couldn’t move and it.. Tried to pull me.. Underwater and I couldn’t do anything about it!” MC explained in between her sobs. She could feel everyone’s doubtful eyes on her and felt somehow really exposed and vulnerable, even silly. How could anyone believe that story?

“Maybe it was seaweed?” Priya suggested and rubbed her back consolingly. 

“That’s what I.. Thought at first but.. How often do seaweed.. Have the power of a grown man?” MC rubbed her eyes and tried her best to calm down. 

“I think the most logical explanation is that you had a cramp, went into panic and imagined the rest..” Lucas said calmly, “Have you gotten enough magnesium? I know some great tips and massages to preventing unwanted cramps!” he added.

“I know what I felt! Why can’t anyone believe me?” MC asked and turned to face the other islanders who were looking at her with worried yet doubtful eyes, “Okay, I know it sounds far-fetched. I wouldn’t believe it myself! But you have to believe me. I felt something.. Something that had enough power to pull me underwater. And how would you explain the music?” she sighed deeply and looked down. 

“Maybe someone was playing music from a speaker?” Gary proposed and fiddled awkwardly with her hands. 

“Oh yeah, and how many here would listen to some damn violin playing for fun and nothing else?” MC snorted and stood up, arms crossed, “I see. You don’t believe me. That’s fine. I would advise you not go swimming there,” She pointed at the area that she had been swimming in, “But if you go there and someone tries to freaking drown you, don’t come crying to me.” She said coldly and pettily, beginning to walk away from the dock.

“Wait” MC! I believe you!” Lottie screamed after her and MC turned to look at her, hopeful. 

“You do?” She whispered quietly and tried to figure out whether Lottie was being sincere. 

“I do. I’ve heard of similar accounts before and.. Oh hun, look at your left ankle..” She said quietly, frowning, and pointed at MC’s ankles. MC and the rest of the islanders turned to look at her ankles. MC took a wobbling step backwards when she noticed it. Red marks, as clear as day, in a human-hand-like shape. The cold surge returned back to her body as she looked at the marks. She looked back at the other islanders, who looked as dumbfounded as she felt at that very moment. 

“What is that?!” Hannah screamed in horror and wrapped her arms around Lucas. The rest of the islanders just stared first at MC’s ankle, then at each other, in pure shock. No one dared to say anything for a while. 

“I believe you too, MC. I trust your judgement.” Bobby said quietly and tried to offer MC a sad smile. MC wasn’t having any of that at that very moment, remembering his doubtful eyes from the earlier. 

“Okay. This is great. First there’s a stalker and now there’s some violin-playing freaking water-creature! Great, great, great! What a great holiday!” MC mumbled loudly began to power walk away from the dock, leaving everyone else behind. 

“There’s no such things as water-creatures! I’m sure there’s a natural and logical explanation to this!” Lucas called out after her, but she didn’t even turn to look back at him, marching away from them, forgetting about her towel.

~*~

[Back terrace]  
[Noah, Hope, Henrik, Elisa, Marisol & Ibrahim]

MC changed back into some summer clothes and she closely inspected her red marks, that were slowly starting to fade away. She had taken some pictures of them as well, as evidence that this whole thing happened. It didn’t hurt to touch the marks. They had a little bit of depth into them, as if someone had pushed the skin hard. They were healing normally, though. No blood, no weird sensations. When MC had calmed down and made herself look more presentable, she decided to join the other big group that was gathered at the back terrace together. 

“And here she comes! Join us, MC!” Elisa called out to her and MC smiled at her, sitting next to her. She was holding her phone, presumably recording for the vlog, “What’s up, MC?” she asked and pointed her phone at MC.

“I just took a little dip in the lake with Bobby, Priya, Lottie, Hannah, Gary and Lucas. The water was nice, I guess..” She explained at the camera, forcing a natural-looking smile onto her lips. She didn’t want to admit to what happened in a recording. The viewers would think that she’s insane. 

“Amazing! Okay, so know we know what most of the other islanders have been up to lately! I’ll get back to you soon, bye my amazing Elisa-bees!” she turned on the front camera to finish of the recording and gave an enthusiastic wave to the camera. She stopped recording and put the phone down, letting out a long sigh. Everyone was enjoying the silence for a moment, before Marisol spoke up.

“So, what’s the matter?” She turned to MC with a worried expression. MC was taken aback by her question, her initial reaction was to become defensive after such an accusation. How dare she imply that there’s something wrong when she has absolutely no evidence on that?!

“Eeeexcuse me?” MC huffed and crossed her arms, wanting to be as petty as she wanted to, “Are you implying that there’s something wrong with me?” 

“Not exactly, no. I just noticed that you’re acting off. When you first walked here, you were all tense and nearly slouching. When Elisa turned her phone at you, you straightened back right up and put on a fake smile. And your defensiveness right now proves that I was correct.” Marisol smiled mysteriously and tapped the table with her long nails, “So, out with it. What has happened?”

“You’re right.. Something did happen..” MC sighed and rubbed her temples, “I was swimming until I heard some strange music.. It sounded like violin. It was very pretty. And I swam towards it for a while until I realized I had swam too far from the shore and I started to swim back,” she took a deep breath before continuing, fearing for another bad reactions, “And then something grabbed my ankle and tried to pull me underwater. I had to scream for help. Bobby, Gary and Lucas swam to me and I was freed by the grasp and we swam back to the dock.” She explained. Noah was about to open his mouth, probably to suggest something, but MC stopped him in his tracks, “Ah-ha. It wasn’t seaweed or a cramp or anything like that, I have evidence!” MC took out her phone and showed everyone the picture she had taken of the red marks. Everyone was silent at first.

“Maybe it was _näcken!_ ” Henrik laughed and everyone turned to look at him, dumbfounded.

“What is that? A fish?” Ibrahim frowned and scratched his head. 

“No! As a child my parents and grandparents would always tell me scary stories about _näcken_. It’s a water spirit that lures people, especially children and women into a lake, a river, a stream or any body of water really with it’s enchanted violin music!” Henrik explained gleefully and the rest of the islanders exchanged worried looks. 

“But that’s a mythological creature or something. Surely they’re not real and those were just stories that parents taught their kids so they would be careful while being near water?” Marisol sighed and glanced at Henrik with uncertainty.

“Yeah, I don’t think they exist,” Henrik laughed, relaxed, “But people have been talking about them for hundreds of years. Who knows, some people say that there’s some truth behind every story..” He shrugged and didn’t seem overly bothered by his story. 

MC was bothered, though. That would fit with what had happened to her. She’s a woman. She heard violin music, that almost sounded like it was out of this world. She felt someone pulling her ankle. But _näcken_ has the same chances to be real as any other mythological creatures, such as faeries, trolls, Banshee or even the Loch Ness Monster. 

“I wish I was there to film that..” Elisa muttered quietly and looked at her feet.

“Oh yeah, that would have been some good material for your vlogs. I can see it! Video name: My friend was almost drowned, not clickbait, gone wrong, hashtag Pray-For-MC, hashtag Unbelievable-Footage!” MC jeered and rolled her eyes at Elisa.

“Oh.. I didn’t mean it like that.. I’m sorry..” She mumbled back and turned to look away from MC, seemingly bothered. 

“No, I’m sorry too.. I’m just on edge. None of the others believed me at first except for Lottie. I felt so betrayed, especially by Bobby. He didn’t trust me..” MC sighed and felt emotions washing over her as she thought about Bobby, “I never lose my faith for him. Even if he makes stupid mistakes or gets into trouble because of his clumsiness, I always believe in him. I know he’s a good guy. But now that something like this happened, he didn’t believe in me. After we had noticed the marks on my ankle, he tried to say that he trusts in me but it was kind of too late to say that..” MC trailed off, eyes glazed. 

“It does sound unbelievable. And we still cannot be sure of what happened. But it doesn’t take away from what you experienced. Stay true to how you felt at that moments for now. I’m sure Bobby didn’t mean to hurt you. He was probably just taken aback. And he was probably so worried about you as you nearly drowned…” Noah said quietly and MC began to feel a little better about the whole situation.

“Thanks Noah.. I really needed to hear that.” MC smiled at Noah softly and Noah returned the smile, holding eye contact with her, not turning to look away before MC did so. 

“My Noah is so considerate, isn’t he?” Hope beamed and sneaked her hands around Noah’s arm protectively. 

“Yeah, he sure is..” MC muttered and smiled at Hope reassuringly, and Hope seemingly relaxed a little after the sentiment, “So, what have you been up to here?” she asked the rest of the group. 

“Not much. Just talking and drinking some bubbly.” Marisol answered and took a sip out of her glass. 

“We were also talking about tomorrow!” Elisa chimed in with a knowing smile on her face.

“Tomorrow?” MC questioned and tried to think about that Elisa had meant by that, but her mind was totally blanking.

“It’s midsummer’s eve! That’s when everything cool happens!” Henrik announced excitedly and began to explain about some Swedish traditions, “We must decorate the maypole and erect it, then we’re going to cook a traditional Swedish meal with potatoes, herrings, sour cream and so much more! Then we go to sauna together and sing some songs! Then we must make flower crowns and dance around the maypole and maybe even do some little spells!” he winked. 

“Wow, that’s a lot to do!” MC said surprised and thought about the activities Henrik had names, “Maypole? But it’s June?” she wondered out loud.

“It’s just a name! In some countries like Germany it is erected during May 1st, but here in Sweden it’s a big part of out midsummer traditions. In Swedish we usually call it _‘Midsommarstång’_ , ‘midsummer’s pole’.” Henrik explained and MC bobbed her head along. 

“And what’s that part about pole dancing?” MC asked and Henrik’s cheeks turned to a hint of pink at the comment.

“It’s not literal pole dancing! We just dance around the maypole. They’re usually folk dances, but I don’t usually take those dances too seriously. Children sometimes play some games around the maypole as well.. It’s well adorable to look at!” Henrik laughed joyfully and took a sip of his drink.

“Okay, I think I’m beginning to understand the traditions more. Thank for giving be a brief explanation into how to celebrate midsummer the Swedish way!” MC smiled and Henrik grinned charmingly back at her.

“No problem! I’m sure we’re going to have so much fun tomorrow!” Henrik said with confidence. The mood around the cottage was starting to become better after the previous events, and MC was finally starting to feel more at ease. 

The islanders spent their time on the back terrace, occasionally someone else joining their group and someone else leaving. Jakub had woken up, apparently at some point, as he joined the group for a while. Rocco came in and they sang some familiar songs together as he played his ukulele. Chelsea also came in at some point, bringing a new bottle of bubbles with her. At some point, Jo came in asked if Ibrahim wanted to go for a quick walk at the hiking trail, and they both left to God knows where. They weren’t away for longer than 30 minutes and in that time, the whole squad had found its way to the back terrace.

The air was beginning to cool down after the sunny day, and she shadows of the forest were growing bigger and more threatening. Nature was silent for a while in this sacred hour in between day and night. That’s when the islanders decided it was a good time to go to sleep. They had a long day ahead of themselves, with them preparing for the celebrations and actually celebrating midsummer’s eve in the evening. 

“I think it’s only fair for MC and Bobby to get to sleep in the double bed today as they won the Olympics of Love!” Chelsea squealed and the other islanders were nodding in agreement.

“Get in there!” Gary winked and patter Bobby’s back. Bobby shot a nervous glance at MC, who in turn bit her lip, avoiding Bobby’s gaze.

“I don’t know, I--” Bobby began but MC quickly spoke up.

“Yeah, it would be our honor!” She said and forced a brave face. She certainly had some things to talk about with Bobby after today, but she wasn’t going to put Bobby in the spot right now in front of all of their friends. Bobby gave her a careful smile, which MC returned, still uncertain about how the night was going to go. 

~*~

MC had changed on some rather sexy lingerie, but still something she felt uncomfortable to wear in front of the other islanders in the morning. She was looking at her reflection nervously in the bathroom mirror, trying to style her hair and nervously fiddling with the material if her lingerie. She was in her own world, imagining the talk she had to have with Bobby, and only came back to reality when she heard a high-pitched voice behind her.

“Do you think you’re going to do bits tonight with Bobby?” Chelsea asked and MC turned to her quickly, surprised. She tried to look nonchalant, leaning against the sink and gave Chelsea her most confident smile.

“Who knows? We’ll see where the night takes us..” MC smirked and bit her lip, trying to hide her nervousness and worry. At first, Chelsea looked excited and was about to say something, but she stopped herself, stared at MC and began to pout, “What? Something wrong with how I look?” MC asked. 

“No, you’re looking stunning! It’s just.. I don’t think you’re being 100% honest with me right now.. Just the feeling I get, hun!” Chelsea explained, walked into the bathroom fully and locked the door behind her. MC started to feel a tad claustrophobic as the bathroom wasn’t nearly as big as the one back in the Villa, but she pushed that thought aside.

“Yeah, you’re right.. I’m sorry..” MC sighed deeply and let her shoulders slump, “Today was such a weird day for me. Obviously I was feeling great about us, Bobby and I, since we won the Olympics of Love and whatnot.. But then later today.. You know, after than incident, Bobby didn’t believe my story and I was just thinking, like.. Does he not trust me? I always trust him. I always give him the benefit of the doubt. I have always believed in his stories, in his promises, in his plans - I have always believed in HIM. And today he was looking at me with such disbelief and suspicion and I can’t shake it away. Noah tried to comfort me about it, saying that he was probably just so shocked after I almost drowned and that made me feel a little bit better but.. I know I have to have a conversation about what went down with him now and I’m not sure what he’s thinking about.” MC suddenly blurted out the whole story, unable to stop the flow of her words.

“You almost drowned? What? What happened, when, how? You lost me!” Chelsea asked confused and MC’s eyes widened in realization. 

“Oh yeah, sorry! You weren’t there when it happened or when I talked about it with the big group on the terrace!” She said and quickly recapped what happened with Chelsea. Chelsea was nodding along the story, occasionally gasping or commenting on something.

“That’s so crazy! I can’t believe that no one except for Lottie believed you! I would have believed you!” Chelsea pouted and patted MC’s shoulder. 

“I know. You’re a good friend, Chelsea.” MC smiled at Chelsea, who beamed brightly back at her.

“You’re a good friend too, MC! I’m so lucky that I got the chance to meet you!” Chelsea squealed and was smiling happily. 

“But I’m so afraid about going out there and facing Bobby now. He’s a good guy and I really do love him but.. He didn’t have my back. And he tried to cover his tracks afterwards with a white lie. I just can’t believe he did that. We haven’t really had any big fights in our relationship so far and we’ve just been really happy but this trip has brought up some cracks..” MC sighed and thought about Bobby. The thought about him telling her that he wants to break up creeped in her mind, making her feel nauseous and completely powerless. She had to fight back tears and concentrate on her breathing not to completely lose it.

“I think you might not be the only couple thinking about that..” Chelsea muttered under her breath. MC shot her an incredulous look, but Chelsea just shook her head and changed her frown upside down, “You know what I think? I think Bobby’s right now just as scared as you are, babes. It doesn’t take a physicist to see how smitten he is with you!” Chelsea stated with a smile on her face.

“Do.. Do you mean psychic, dear?” MC asked with a raised eyebrow, amused. 

“That person who foresees the future! Physicist!” Chelsea explained with a confused pout on her face.

“Psychic, Chels. Psychic. Physicist means a scientist who specializes in physics. Psychics are the ones who can tell the future or communicate with spirits or something.” MC explained gently. Chelsea thought about it for a while.

“Well, we don’t need neither physicist or psychic to see how much Bobby loves you! Psychic because they can tell the future and physicist because it’s not too hard to see how much chemistry you guys have!” Chelsea winked at MC playfully.

“Physics are not the same as chemist--” MC began but Chelsea shushed her.

“Can you stop interrupting me? I’m trying to have a beautiful speech here for my top girlie!” Chelsea pouted and MC zipped her lip, “Yeah, so it’s plain to see that Bobby cares about you, ok? So like, I think he’s bricking it right now out there! And not only that, he probably feels guilty. So you’re not alone with your feelings. But I’m sure Bobby’s more than willing to fight for your relationship. You know how he gets with other girls? They’re always just pals to him. You’re super duper special to him! As long as you are willing to try and make this work, I’m sure he’s in it as well. And that’s the thing about love.. When you really love someone, so much so that you feel vulnerable and bare in front of them, it’s supposed to feel little scary. When you love someone, you’re always insecure. Being in love is one hell of a ride! But I am sure you and Bobby are able to talk it out. I believe in you. I believe in Bobby. And above all, I believe in your guy’s relationship! Remember that you can always talk to me, as bras should!” Chelsea smiled at MC’s, whose eyes started to glisten under the bathroom lighting.

“Oh Chelsea.. That was such a beautiful speech. Thank you..” She whispered and wrapped her arms around her dear friend. Chelsea can sometimes be a little slow, but deep inside her heart was the purest type of gold that existed on planet Earth. 

“You’re welcome!” Chelsea laughed and embraced her friend back for a minute before letting go and grinning at her, “Now, go out there and get your man! I’ll keep rooting for you!” She winked and sauntered off the bathroom. MC turned back to the mirror, looking at her reflection, seemingly more confident and comfortable than before. 

“I look hot.” She whispered to herself and walked out of the bedroom and towards the stairs that lead to the balcony that the double bed was located it. She felt strangely empowered and like a true femme fatale when she walked up the stairs, as if nothing could stop her tonight. That’s Chelsea to you guys - she’s at her best when she is inspiring and empowering other people.

Bobby was sitting on the double bed, his freckled back facing away from the stairs. He was fiddling with one of the plush pillows seemingly nervous. When he didn’t seem to notice that MC had arrived, she quietly cleared her throat, causing Bobby to jump to his feet and quickly turn around. His eyes widened when he saw what MC was wearing.

“You look, umm.. I mean.. That’s.. Yeah..” He stumbled with his words, becoming more and more embarrassed the longer he kept speaking. MC started to walk towards him, a small, understanding smile on her face, when Bobby stopped him, “Stay there..” 

MC froze in her place. What did Bobby mean by that? Didn’t he want her anymore? Neither of them moved a muscle or said anything, MC couldn’t even bare to look at Bobby at this point.

“I can go and sleep on one of the bunks if you’re so bothered..” MC whispered quietly, her voice wobbling, threatening to crack. Bobby looked up quickly, eyes panicked.

“I didn’t mean it like that! Oh my gosh, I’m making this worse, aren’t I?” He explained fast and let out a nervous laugh. He then sat on the bed, the one side facing MC and patted the place next to her, “Please, sit down..” he said quietly. MC followed his orders, sitting down next to him, leaving a small gap between them, “I think we have something to talk about..” Bobby continued and fixed a serious look on MC.

“I think so too..” MC agreed, knowing that this wasn’t the time to start joking or teasing him. She hadn’t seen Bobby so serious that many times. Bobby was always the one to bounce quickly back up from misfortunes and the first to forgive and forget. And as she had told Chelsea, they hadn’t had that many big fights yet even though they’ve been a thing for nearly a year. They just always seemed to get each other, so there were no reasons to fight about. Obviously there were dumb little bickers here and there, but never anything like this.

“So, about what happened today at the lake.. How did you feel about it? How do you feel about it right now?” Bobby asked carefully, keeping his distance.

“At first I was really disappointed. I just kept thinking about how I’ve always believed in you. I have never once doubted you and the things that you do and now when I was so vulnerable and scared and I saw in your eyes that you didn’t believe me.. I felt betrayed. Call it overreacting, I call it.. Fear. I felt afraid that you’re going to abandon me at that moment when I felt so open and vulnerable. And after Lottie pointed out the marks and you said that you believed me, I knew you were lying. I knew that’s not what you originally thought. I felt like you were only trying to save your own skin by saying that. I was angry. I wasn’t only disappointed and angry at you, but to the other’s there as well..” MC spoke quietly and fiddled with her hair anxiously, “What.. What were you thinking about? How were you feeling?” she questioned and looked deep into Bobby’s eyes. Bobby sighed.

“Okay, so.. You’re right. I didn’t believe that anyone grabbed you at first. Like, it just doesn’t make sense when you first think about it. Then Lottie pointed out the red marks and I started to wonder whether there’s a chance something like that actually happened. I was thinking about all of the things that have happened here and was starting to lean more towards the idea that you were right, but I hadn’t completely made up my mind yet. After you left, I had a long conversation with Gary and Priya and I felt awful about the whole situation. When I saw you were struggling to swim out there and when you were pulled underwater, I felt like my whole world was coming crashing down. I was so scared, so worried, it felt like my heart was about to burst.. The thought of losing you.. I couldn’t bare to think about it. I just want to say two things.. First, I apologize for doubting you. I know that you’ve always had my back and that in this situation, I should have had yours. There are no excuses to my actions. And secondly, I just wanna say.. You mean so, so, so much to me. I’ve never met anyone like you. You are my morning sun, giving me a reason to get up from the bed and do my best every day. And you’re my night’s moon, I couldn’t imagine going to sleep without you in my life. I love you, lass. I really do. I know I’m not really poetic or good with words, but I just wanted to make sure that you know how much I care about you. And I’m willing to become a better person, I’m willing to work for what we have together until the day you no longer want or need me.” Bobby explained quietly, taking ahold of MC’s hand at some point in his long monologue. MC felt like completely losing herself into his gorgeous eyes as he spoke, unable to tear her eyes away. Silence engulfed the pair yet again as they kept holding each other’s hands, unable to look away from each other. 

“Bobby, there’s not going to be a day when I don’t want or need you. I chose you on Love Island. And I’ll keep choosing you every time. I love you so much. You’re forgiven. Can you forgive me for treating you so coldly afterwards?” MC smiled warmly at Bobby, who’s mouth curled into a smile upon hearing her words.

“There’s nothing you need to apologize for, babe..” Bobby whispered and leaned in tentatively. MC laughed and leaned in as well, letting their lips meet in the middle. This kiss was an emotional one, full of love and need to prove something to the other. Bobby wanted to prove that he trusted MC with all of his heart and MC needed to prove that her feelings towards Bobby hadn’t changed. And the kiss they were sharing was the perfect way to get those points across. Slowly, passion built up and the kiss became more and more heated, more intimate, more demanding. MC crawled on top of Bobby as Bobby let his hands wander on MC’s curves. At some point, they needed to break the kiss for air, and they just looked at each other with playful smirks on their faces, eyes sparkling with new-found want. MC could feel certain twitches from under her and felt herself getting more and more excited by the second, as Bobby never took his hands off of her body.

“You want me to pay back your graciousness?” Bobby gave MC a sly smirk and gave rapid, heated kisses across her tender neck. MC held in a moan and gave him better access to her neck by moving her hair out of the way.

“Only if you let me handle your maypole afterwards..” MC answered back before she understood how unsexy that must have sounded. After a second of awkward silence, they both burst out laughing and looked into each other’s eyes. 

“I’m always ready to be handled by you..” Bobby grinned, brought MC closer and kissed her sensually. While they were kissing, Bobby laid MC down on the bed and ran a finger down MC’s thigh. Instinctively MC opened up her legs to him, letting a sweet, silent moan escape from her lips. One of Bobby’s hands found it’s way on MC’s breast and began to play with the nipple. One of MC’s hands on the other hand was working its way under Bobby’s waistband, ready to pull, when they heard.. Knocking? Three. Silent. Knocks. On. Wood.

They froze for a second, worried that they had woken someone up. When they heard nothing, they resumed the kiss and feverish touching. They were getting back in the mood and Bobby was just about to go down on MC when they heard them again. Three knocks on the wood. This time, louder and more clear. Bobby perked up, turning around and watching to the living room below them. Priya, Marisol and Elisa were still sound asleep and none of the other islanders were in the living room. Bobby turned back to MC, shrugging before lowering back down, about to move her awfully soaked panties out of the way when it happened again. Three LOUD knocks on wood. Someone screamed downstairs. 

Both MC and Bobby let out a frustrated wince as they got up from the bed. MC could see how hard Bobby was, it was probably nearly painful for him. And she on the other hand felt like her downstairs were burning and there was a tight knot inside her abdomen waiting to be released. They saw that there were two bathrobes conveniently hanging on the wall and they quickly slipped them on, walking downstairs. That solved the problem for her more so than for Bobby, but it was better than going downstairs in what they were wearing before.. As they were descending the stairs, someone or something knocked on one of the windows. They couldn’t identify which one.

Downstairs, all of the girls were now up and about. Elisa and Priya looked panicked as Marisol was looking outside of the windows, making sure there were locked.

“What’s going on in here?” MC asked and tried her best to look nonchalant. Not like they were just about to get it going on upstairs, no, nothing like that…

“You heard the knocks too?” Priya asked and bit her lip anxiously. Someone knocked on one of the windows again. Marisol was still looking outside of the windows, a confused look on her face. 

“See anything?” Bobby whispered to Marisol, who was silent for a moment before shaking her head. Bobby frowned and looked outside of the window as well know.

“Um, If I were you, I would stay the hell away from the windows!” Elisa yelped and was jumped by the sound of.. Someone on the roof? “Are they coming down the chimney?! This is how we’re going to die! Let me film my last moments!” She screamed and took out of her phone, starting to record. Great, now all of her followers will see Bobby’s painfully aware hard-on.. But before MC could think about that too much, some of the other islanders ran to the room from the bedrooms. 

“What is going on in here!?” Gary, who appeared first, shouted as he ran to the living room, Lottie promptly following him.

“Maybe Jo and Ibrahim came back from their evening walk?” She said tiredly and rubbed her eyes, frowning at the sudden noises.

“And they decided to take another walk on the roof afterwards?” Elisa laughed in an annoyed manner. 

“We’re here, we’re here! It’s not us! We came back a long time ago..” Jo announced as she walked in with Ibrahim. After them came Lucas and Hannah, then Rocco, Hope and Noah. 

“What’s all of this?” Hope questioned and yawned. That caused some of the other islanders to yawn. Soon, everyone was yawning. 

“It’s a chain reaction!” Bobby laughed and the others stared at him. Gary walked next to him and whispered something in his ear, grinning cheekily. Bobby blushed bright red and turned to face the wall.

“So hi Elisa-bees, we’re in the middle of a crisis here! Someone is harassing us by knocking and walking on the roof. Not cool. Don’t do that especially if certain people would rather have some fun of their own..” Elisa briefly turned the phone to MC and winked, “or sleep..” she turned her camera to Lottie, who looked like she hadn’t slept for days. 

“Is this really the right moment to record?” Lucas questioned Elisa with a small frown on his face. He didn’t seem amused.

“If we die, we want there to be evidence so someone can avenge us!” Elisa declared dramatically and turned on the face-view mirror, “At least I look good..” 

“No one’s going to die..” Marisol sighed and was about to continue when there was a loud bang on the front door. Many of the islanders screamed and huddled closer together for the feeling of safety.

Nothing happened for a while. No new sounds. No knocks. No footsteps. Until they could hear something from one of the bedrooms. 

“Ah! Jakub, Chelsea and Henrik are still sleeping there!” Rocco shouted and they all turned to the direction of the bedrooms, too frightened to move. There was more sounds and quick footsteps.

“Maybe that thing broke the window and came in through there?” Hannah wondered and her lower lip was trembling. 

“We didn’t hear the sound of glass breaking, though..” Lottie muttered and frowned in deep thought, “Was this the reason I pulled the Death card as my daily Tarot card?”

“Death confirmed!” Elisa cheered and everyone was pretty much done with her at that moment, but they couldn’t tear their eyes away from the bedroom door. Suddenly, more fast footsteps. Suddenly the door flung open with force and out came Henrik, holding a shotgun.

“Eeeeek! Henrik has been possessed by an evil spirit and now he’s going to slaughter us!” Someone screamed. MC couldn’t quite make out who said it as she was in such a state of shock. Henrik walked closer quickly, the shogun ready to go.

“Wow bro, don’t point that thing towards us!” Lucas yelled and took a step closer. 

“Out of my way. I’m going to see who or what is causing so much ruckus outside.” Henrik gritted his teeth and walked past everyone, marching towards the front door. Chelsea came out of the bedroom and ran next to MC.

“Oh hun, isn’t Henrik so brave?” Chelsea sighed happily and looked at Henrik, smiling.

“You know that he could be in actual danger?” MC questioned her, and Chelsea’s eyes widened in realization.

“Oh Sugar..” she whispered and held her breath as Henrik began to unlock the front door. There was the loud noise of the door being unlocked as Henrik began to open the door to reveal..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leaving you on a little cliff hanger, eh? What did you think of that little bit of steamier content. Are you frustrated or happy that it was cut short?


	8. Helan Går! Bottoms up!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Islanders get ready for the evening’s Midsummer celebrations. Drama is looming on the horizon..

Nothing. There was absolutely no one behind that door. Henrik took a step outside, looking to his right and left. Nothing. Everything seemed normal, unphased by the recent events. Henrik kept his shotgun pointed as he locked and closed the door again, lowering it only as he turned to look at the other horrified islanders.

“You were worried about a stolen axe when you had a shotgun hidden somewhere?” Priya frowned and eyed Henrik’s gun suspiciously. 

“Oh, this old thing?” Henrik laughed and looked at his gun, “This is not even loaded!” He said relaxedly, causing the other islanders to exchange some worried glances.

“So.. You just opened the door with a gun that doesn’t even work.. What is someone had been out there, armed and ready to attack?” Noah questioned him and Henrik just shrugged.

“I could’ve whacked him with the gun.” He said and didn’t sound even a bit worried.

“I guess that’s fair..” Noah replied back, dumbfounded.

“But shooting someone is way more efficient than whacking them with something like a gun..” Marisol pointed out. Henrik looked at her and just shrugged again.

“Let’s just move on and try to figure what those sounds were. Any logical explanations?” Hope sighed and looked around at the other islanders.

“The wind?” Rocco suggested quietly and Lottie laughed dryly at his suggestion.

“Oh yeah, I love hearing the sound of wind walking on the roof, having clear footsteps..” Lottie shrugged sarcastically. 

“But it could’ve been the wind knocking something against the roof and we just imagined it to be footsteps!” Rocco protested, furrowing his brows.

“Maybe someone pranked us?” Ibrahim proposed and scratched his chin in thought. 

“Is there a midsummer version Sauna Claus here in Sweden?” Chelsea asked and glanced at Henrik for confirmation, who shook his head in return.

“I think it was the stalker messing with us.” MC said bluntly and everyone turned to look at her eyeing her worriedly, “What? That’s what I think. Am I not allowed to express my opinion? I mean, they have not sent a message today so they had probably planned for this to happen the whole day.” MC gritted her teeth, frustrated about the whole day.

“I think we were all considering that option but just didn’t want to say it out loud..” Jo sighed and avoided MC’s eye contact, “It would sound the most likely option so far..”

“I checked the forest site with Henrik after the Olympics and Jakub checked it with Henrik during the evening. None of us saw anything there then.” Rocco tried to calm everyone’s nerves and Henrik nodded his head, confirming what he had told them.  
“Where’s Jakub?” Priya asked suddenly, counting the group, “Jakub’s not here.”

“He was still sleeping when Chelsea and I left the room!” Henrik told the rest of the group. The girls looked at each other uneasily. 

“He slept through that? How did he manage to do that?” Marisol frowned and walked to the bedroom door quietly and peered in, “He is still there, sleeping soundly..” She confirmed in a whisper.

“He really must be tired!” Gary laughed, seemingly not phased by Jakub’s sleeping skills. 

“I don’t think we’re going to solve this mystery by standing here. Should we go and investigate now or should we just go back to sleep? It seems like the sounds have stopped anyway.” Lucas changed the subject, asking a very valid question.

“I’m not going out there! And I don’t think anyone should.Either there’s nothing to be found or then someone’s going to attack us or something..” Elisa sighed and rubbed her temples. She had apparently stopped recording at some point, too.

“I actually agree. We have a long and eventful day ahead of us tomorrow. I think it’s better to just go to sleep for now.” Marisol said and yawned. They looked at the time. It was 2 am. 

“Okay. Good night everyone! Wake me up if you need anything..” Henrik hollered and walked back to the bedroom with his shotgun, Chelsea following suit. Slowly everyone went back to their rooms and Priya, Marisol and Elisa went to their sofas.

“Let’s go, lass..” Bobby walked next to MC, taking her by the hand. They walked up the stairs and took off the bathrobes, lying down to the double bed. Neither of them seemed to be in the mood for fooling around anymore, “Do you want to, or..?” Bobby made sure. 

“Let’s just cuddle..” MC sighed and Bobby nodded, pulling MC closer to him and soon enough they both started to fall asleep - MC had been awake for about 20 hours straight anyway. 

~*~ 

MC woke up to laughter, and she swiftly tried to cover her ears with the pillow provided. She didn’t feel like laughing. Not after everything that had happened last evening and night. And not only was she terrorized by her thoughts and the happenings when she was awake, but also when she was asleep. Last night she had seen a bad dream about the forest, about the lake, about the knocking on wood.. It was a good thing that they had the double bed that night as she had felt much safer in Bobby’s arms. Even through her pillow she heard laughter and people talking; it would be futile to try and fall back asleep now. 

MC opened her eyes and put the pillow away - Bobby was still sleeping next to her, softly breathing, totally dead to the world. She looked at Bobby and some of the last night’s frustration sneaked back. Things got pretty heated before they were rudely interrupted by the knocking sound. MC missed the feeling of Bobby’s hands roaming her body all over, finding all of the most sensitive spots, the excitement and need shining is his eyes.. MC ran a single finger down his torso, stopping just before the waistband, biting her lip.. 

But now wasn’t the time to think about these things. MC quickly shook her head and removed her finger, sitting up in the bed. She listened in on the others islanders.. It sounded like most of them had woken up already. Was that Chelsea’s voice? Chelsea never wakes up before she does! This needs to be investigated immediately. MC slippied quickly and quietly out of bed, making sure that she didn’t wake Bobby up. She looked at him, smiling softly and giving him a small kiss on his forehead before walking down the stairs.

She changed on some appropriate clothes, did her hair and makeup and looked around in the living room. It was totally empty, abandoned. She didn’t see the living room this way often. She saw from the window that some of the islanders were outside. She even spotted Chelsea there! She decided to join them.

~*~

[Beach & Yard]  
[Henrik, Chelsea, Gary, Noah, Elisa & Priya]

MC walked out of the front door, the morning sun momentarily blinding her vision. When she got used to the surprising amount of light, she saw a lot of people gathered around some type of a pole that was lying on the ground. She walked up to the people and looked at the pole. Must be that maypole Henrik had mentioned. 

“Good morning, MC! Woah, I just can’t deal with how cute you look in that outfit!” Chelsea squealed and ran next to MC, giving her a quick hug, “We’re decorating the maypole! Henrik woke me up early and asked me if I wanted to help him because like, I’m an interior designed and I have an eye for these type of things! Otherwise I would probably still be snoring but I just can’t say no if someone asks me to decorate or design something!” Chelsea explained excitedly and pointed at the maypole. Around it, there were some colorful ribbons, stringfuls of fake birch leaves, real birch leaves, wildflowers, plastic flowers, and some other stuff. Chelsea and the other islanders had already started to decorate the maypole with those ingredients, but they were still not finished. 

“You want to join us, MC?” Gary asked as he was attaching some birch leaves onto the pole. MC nodded and sat next to the group, picking up some flowers and twirling them in her hand absentmindedly.

“So MC, how was the night in the double bed with Bobby?” Priya winked and looked at MC with expectant eyes.

“Could have gone better..” MC sighed and rubbed her temples annoyedly, starting to attach some of the flowers. 

“Did you get to talk about the thing?” Chelsea asked quietly and gazed worriedly at MC.

“The thing?” Noah asked, confused. Whispering had never been Chelsea’s strong suit..

“The thing?” Henrik repeated and now everyone was looking at MC and Chelsea. MC just subtly nodded at Chelsea, who beamed.

“So you guys are alright?” She made sure and MC nodded again, “Yay!” Chelsea squealed happily. 

“What’s going on?” Elisa asked, brows furrowed. Everyone was still looking at MC expectantly, but she just smiled mysteriously back at them.

“Nothing, nothing..” She mused and got back to decorating the maypole. Everyone worked together in silence, taking their task seriously. The maypole was coming along beautifully, and for a while, everything felt peaceful once again. 

“So.. Did anyone investigate the yard this morning?” MC asked quietly and turned up to meet the gaze of Henrik. Henrik smiled at her, nodding his head.

“Ibrahim and I checked out the yard and the forest site together early this morning. We saw absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. It was as if nothing had happened at all.. I even climbed to the roof and it looked normal.” Henrik explained, expression somewhat puzzled, but mostly relieved and happy.

“Oh!” MC exclaimed, surprised, “Oh.. Well, that’s good I guess.” She added with a nervous smile. How is it possible that there are never signs of human interference when it is so clear that someone or something was harassing them.

“I did see some footsteps of a deer near the back terrace but I don’t think that’s anything out of the ordinary when we live so near the forest.” Henrik mentioned and shrugged. 

“I haven’t heard of deer that climb up to the roof..” Elisa laughed and Chelsea gasped.

“Except for reindeer! Reindeer and deer too, right?! They fly Santa Claus to the roofs of houses before he goes down the chimney! Maybe it was the midsummer Santa Claus after all!” Chelsea exclaimed confidently. 

“Yeah, let’s just say that it was.. Midsummer Santa Claus. That’s the best explanation we have..” Noah sighed and didn’t seemingly want to talk about it anymore. Everyone went quiet after that comment and went back to working on the maypole. 

After working an additional 20 minutes on the maypole, it was fully cled into it’s summer glory. It was lusciously emerald green with beautiful flowers of every color as it’s crown. Ribbons were circling around it, giving it the last little spark it was missing.

“It’s so pretty!” Chelsea giggled and jumped up, clasping her hands together and looking down at their masterpiece, “And we did it together! I’m so proud of us!” She added with a broad smile on her face. 

“Great job, everyone! Thanks for helping me out!” Henrik thanked the group with a charming smile, “Now we only have to erect it!” 

Gary eyed the pole with a frown, “And how are we going to get it stay in its place? I doubt it’s just gonna stay balanced without any proper holder for it.” He asked and looked at Henrik for answers.

“Oh, we do have a holder! Give me a second!” Henrik shouted and began to run towards the Sauna.. And behind it. And not he disappeared somewhere. What? Great. The rest of the islanders started to eye each other with uncertainty. Noah started to whistle. Chelsea tried to whistle with him, but didn’t succeed. Elisa started to take selfies and pictures of the maypole. Priya pretended to take a look at the nonexistent clock. 

Then Henrik ran back to them, holding a shovel and some kind of a weird wooden thing. Noah peered at the wooden thing, doubtful, “What’s that?” He asked. 

“We always use this to hold up the maypole! It’s sturdy, trust me. Once one of my brothers tried to climb the maypole and it didn’t tip or fall!” Henrik laughed and began to dig a small hole. He put half of the wooden thing inside the hole and covered the rest with dirt, “Now, help me to erect that pole!” Henrik ordered.

“Chelsea can help you with that!” Priya chuckled and grinned. Gary, Elisa and MC laughed at Priya’s little innuendo but Chelsea seemed utterly confused.

“I’m honored you think that I can carry that pole but I don’t think I’m the strongest person here.. At all!” Chelsea pouted, “I think the boys should help Henrik out with that!” She suggested quickly.

“What’s up with you guys making our pole all dirty?” Henrik sighed deeply and Priya just laughed at his comment, “It doesn’t even look like.. You know!” 

“I don’t know what yours looks like, but to me the pole does kind of look phallic..” Noah muttered quietly, causing some of the islanders to snicker. 

“Har har. Let’s just get this over with now, shall we?” Henrik stated with a blank expression and got ready to lift the maypole up. Gary and Noah quickly helped him and together they got the maypole to it’s holder and in it. It slided to its place and seemed surprisingly stable and sturdy.

“It actually works!” Elisa chirped and began to film the maypole, “Elisa-bees! This our maypole! Isn’t she beautiful? I decorated it with Chelsea, Henrik, MC, Priya, Gary and Noah! Maypoles are an essential part of Swedish midsummer!” 

“Must be thanks to Swede’s Ikea furniture assembling skills that the holder works..” MC laughed and looked at the maypole. It truly was beautiful, almost magical-like. Like it kind of woke something primal, long-forgotten feelings within her.

“Erecting it would have been much easier with a crane..” Gary sighed and wiped some sweat off his forehead, smiling at their work. 

“What should we do with the rest of the birch twigs?” Noah questioned and pointed at a pilve of leftover birch twigs.

“Oh, umm…” Henrik stared at the twigs and frowned, before realization dawned on his face, “We can make sauna whisks! Now, that’s more of a Finnish Midsummer tradition but we’ve done it a few times with my family as well just to try it out. We don’t want to waste those twigs, now do we?” Henrik laughed.

“What do you do with sauna whisks?” Elisa wondered out loud, still filming.

“You soak them in water and then hit yourself or your friends with them! Usually on the back, but occasionally on chest, stomach and thighs as well!” Henrik explained. Chelsea grimaced at the thought of being hit with a birch whisk.

“Ooh, kinky…” Priya smiled, licking her lips seductively. 

“And is that just for fun or is there some actual advantages to hitting yourself with a bunch of twigs?” Gary asked, brows furrowed.

“I’ve heard they work as some type of mild soap.. So they clean skin. They can get rid of old skin cells.. It has some ethereal oils that apparently soothes pain and prevents inflammations.. Plus it smells so good and fresh! Some people also believe it’s get rid of evil spirits and that you can make love potions with used birch leaves.. Go figure.” Henrik explained with a smile.

“Lottie would be all over this..” Gary laughed.

“Oh, Midsummer is the most magical time of the year according to old Norse legends.. A lot of stuff goes down during the Midsummer night. A lot of spells, harvestable magical plants, mythological creatures roaming around..” Henrik winked with a cheeky smile, “But obviously those are some old stories and beliefs that most people don’t even really know or care about anymore. I only know about some of them because my late great-grandmother Ida used to tell me so many stories about stuff like that when I was really young.. Bless her soul. She was a sweetheart.” Henrik sighed, remembering her great-grandmother with a grievous smile on his face.

“She sounded like a lovely person..” Chelsea said quietly and wrapped her arms around Henrik for a while, giving him a small peck on his lips. Henrik smiled at Chelsea and nodded.

“She really was. I was lucky to even meet her. She was quite old.. Not everyone gets to meet their great-grandparents after all, so I’m just really glad!” Henrik grinned and looked at the maypole, clearly little emotional after thinking about his late great-grandmother Ida.

Slowly the group disbanded and MC decided to go to the kitchen in hopes that there was something to eat. 

~*~

[Kitchen - cooking]  
[Bobby, Lottie, Hannah & Rocco]

The kitchen was already surprisingly full when MC arrived. Bobby, Lottie, Hannah and Rocco were cooking together, which was miraculously on it’s own right because the kitchen wasn’t too big and certainly not a modern open-plan.

“What’cha cooking, good-looking?” MC asked and wrapped her hands around Bobby’s waist, giving him a quick peck on his cheek before letting him go. Bobby turned to her, smiling.

“Henrik left me in charge of today’s grand meal, so I’m preparing for it. I also asked for these three to help me out! There’s a lot to cook today.” Bobby explained and turned back to the food. 

MC didn’t want to bother him too much, because Bobby seriously was passionate about his cooking. She looked at her options - should she talk to Lottie, Hannah or Rocco? Rocco was peeling potatoes. Hannah was chopping some vegetables, chives and herbs. Lottie was whipping up some whipped cream.. And that’s when MC decided it was the best to talk to Lottie. She could get some whipped cream, plus Lottie was the only one not equipped with a knife of some sort. 

“Good morning, Lottie! You look wonderful today!” MC called out and Lottie turned to her for a second, giving her a knowing smirk. 

“I know what you’re after, no need to sweet talk to me,” she laughed and shot a playful glance at MC, “And the answer is.. No.” she added and turned her attention back to the whipped cream. 

“Aww Lottie, pleeaasee..” MC whined and laid her head on Lottie’s shoulder, staring at the whipped cream intently. It smelled sweet. 

“It’s no use to beg.. I already tried..” Rocco sighed, peeling the potatoes next to the sink.

“But Lottie and I have a long history.. And we’re great friends, right?” MC tried to list out reasons why she deserves to get a taste of that sweet, sweet whipped cream…

“Ah-ah! You’ve gotta wait. This is for everyone.” Lottie frowned. MC pouted and sneaked her arms around Lottie’s waist and didn’t have any intentions of letting go.

“She didn’t even let me taste it and we’re like, bffs!” Hannah explained, chopping a carrot with steady movements. MC noticed a bowl of fresh strawberries next to the cream, her poor stomach and mouth silently calling out for that sweet sensation of tasting those two together.

“But.. But..” MC let out a defeated sigh, until she got an idea, “Lottie, if you let me taste your cream, I’ll do some Midsummer’s magical rituals and spells with you tonight..” She said softly into Lottie’s ear, and felt a shiver run down Lottie’s spine. Those were the magic words, oh yeah. 

“You.. You will?” Lottie asked surprised, side-eyeing MC carefully, debating whether she was being sincere or not.

“Well, that sounded unnecessarily dirty!” Bobby grinned while doing his thing. 

“What’s wrong with us today?” MC laughed, “Things were getting pretty dirty outside before with the maypole erecting!” She told the duo and everyone chuckled. 

“I bet that Gary got some weird ideas, too..” Lottie grinned, “But it’s the Midsummer magic that’s playing with our minds. Midsummer is the prime time of love, passion and fertility! I have so many spells I want to try out and so many plants in mind that I’d like to find..” Lottie admitted and smiled to herself.

“Oh, that ending rhymed. You’re pretty rhythmic today, Lottie!” Rocco laughed and began to hum some odd tune, “Many plants in mind that I’d like to find.. My name is Lottie and I’m not a Thottie.. It’s the Midsummer time in Sweden and this place looks like the garden of Eden!” 

“Wow. Just wow. Splendid rhyming, Rocco.” Hannah laughed dryly.

“Thank you, sweet and fierce, cute Hannah, I’d like to peel off your clothes like a banana..” Rocco sang and Lottie shot him a dirty look, silencing him. Hannah blushed a deep crimson, hiding her face behind her voluminous red hair.

“What the heck, Rocco?” Lottie asked and looked for something sharp.. Without finding one that wasn’t already in use, “That’s not a respectable way to talk about a lady!” she huffed.

“It’s the Midsummer magic, duh. Can’t help feeling a little frisky.” Rocco rolled his eyes with a grin. 

“But what about our deal, Lottie? Will you feed me some of your delicious cream if I promise to do some spells with you?” MC asked and Lottie considered her options. 

“Fine! But only one bite!” She gave in, took a small strawberry out of the bowl and covered it with cream, “Open wide! Here comes a flying witch on her broom!” Lottie grinned and fed the strawberry to MC. It tasted fantastic. 

“Cannibalism!” Bobby gasped at Lottie’s comment. Lottie’s face flushed pink at the comment.

“I didn’t think about it like that..” Lottie muttered and MC finished the strawberry.

“I’m forever in your debt, Lotta!” MC grinned and licked her lips. There was some leftover whipped cream and strawberry juice on them, “So what else do Swedes enjoy in their Midsummer meal?” MC asked, finally letting go of Lottie as she got what she wanted from her. 

“The meal usually consists of boiled new potatoes, dill, vegetables, sour cream, pickled herring and chives. Then they usually barbeque something. I’m going to go and barbeque some salmon, sausages and corn soon. As for dessert.. Well, you already got a sample of it. And then we have some ice cream in the freezer as well.” Bobby explained with a wide smile on his face. 

“Don’t forget about the schnapps, Bobby!” Lottie reminded Bobby.

“Oh yeah, and Swedes really like their schnapps. They’ll down them while singing some drinking songs. Henrik even has some white little books with those songs.. They’re all in Swedish so..” Bobby laughed nervously and pointed at some papers on the counter. MC picked them up and saw some lyrics scribbled down.

“ _Helan Går.. När Gäddorna går.. Tänk om jag hade lilla nubben.._ ” She tried to read them out loud but wasn’t sure if she pronounced any of them correctly, “Well, at least the idea was sweet..” She smiled.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s going to try and teach us those songs and force us to sing them even if we don’t understand a word!” Rocco laughed and finished peeling the potatoes.

“Drinking songs aren’t usually over-complex, right? They’re short and repetitive as you’re supposed to remember the words even if you’re hella drunk..” Hannah shrugged. She had moved onto preparing the sour cream.

“I’m gonna go barbeque these bad boys now!” Bobby exclaimed and left the kitchen with two prepared salmons, a whole lot of sausages and some corn. 

“Now you’re the one that sounds like a cannibal!” Lottie called after her and put the whipped cream and strawberries in the fridge, “Don’t forget about your promise, okay?” Lottie turned to MC, grinned and walked away. 

MC decided she wanted to take it easy for a minute and left the kitchen to Hannah and Rocco, who were still preparing something for the meal.

~*~ 

[Living room]  
[Everyone but Jakub]

The islanders were gathered around the big wooden table that was stocked with traditional Swedish food and multiple types of different drinks. There was water, milk, three different types juice, kvass and white wine. People had already filled their plates with food and their glasses with drinks, when Henrik rose grandly to his feet and clinked his glass with a knife.

“Friends! I’m really glad I have the chance to spend this beautiful week with you guys here. Meeting you was the best thing that happened to me last year, and your friendship has meant so much to me. I really want to thank those people that helped me to decorate and erect the maypole and those that cooked this wonderful Swedish meal. This wouldn’t have been possible without you guys.” Henrik declared and smiled at everyone. He sat down and the islanders cheered. 

“That was a good speech, babe!” Chelsea cheered and Henrik smiled at her broadly. 

“Thank you for having us, Henrik!” Noah said politely and raised his glass, about to say something, but Hope beat him to it, raising her own glass.

“To Midsummer!” She smiled and every one clinked their glasses with people sitting nearby.

“To Midsummer!” Everyone repeated whilst clinking.

“ _Skål!_ ” Henrik screamed and everyone turned to look at him with a confused expression, “That’s what you say in Swedish when you do this whole thing with glasses!” He explained.

“Ohh, so it’s like saying ‘cheers!’. I get you!” Gary smiled and Henrik nodded in approval.

“I came up with a small poem for you guys..” Rocco began. Lottie rolled her eyes and groaned, “Roses are red, Lottie has tattoos, I can’t comprehend, Where is Jakub?” He rhymed and everyone looked around the table. There was no Jakub.

“Oh yeah! Where is he?” Bobby wondered, “He’s going to miss the grand meal! I’m going to write him a text message, maybe he’s nearby..” He continued and began to write a quick message.

“I wish all of us could be here together..” Henrik sighed and looked sadly at his untouched food. 

“Bobbo, did you take a picture of your food?” Gary asked sternly.

“Yeah! I want to show Jakub what he is missing on!” Bobby laughed and send the picture.

“You’re the worst type of person..” Gary muttered, que flashbacks to Mr. & Mrs. game on Love Island. Lottie shook her head disapprovingly to Bobby’s direction. Bobby just smirked back at them, shrugging.

“But back to the real issue here. Jakub. What has he been up to here anyway? He never spends much time with us. He’s just on his jogs, and then he comes back and goes to sleep for hours..” Lucas explained, eyebrows nearly knitted together. The girls exchanged some uncertain glances. 

“It is kinda bizarre. He doesn’t want to jog with us, even if we ask him to join us..” Ibrahim frowned and looked kind of sad. 

“I do wish he could explain himself little more..” Noah admitted and bit his lip. 

“Let’s just eat! I’m starving!” Jo said hurriedly and picked up her fork, looking expectantly at the other islanders. Rest of the girls and some of the boys followed suit, but some of them pouted and eyes the girls suspiciously. 

“You girls have been awfully quiet now.. Do you know anything about the deal with Jakub?” Rocco questioned and pointed his forks towards the girls with intense expression. The girls looked at each other silently, begging for someone to speak with their eyes. After a while of searching, almost everyone’s eyes bore to Marisol. Marisol noticed the desperate stares and sighed deeply, sitting up straighter. The boys turned to look at Marisol as well. 

“I think we’ve all noticed that Jakub has been acting kinda off. We’ve actually discussed the issue together previously with the girls, but we haven’t come up with any solutions or results. We just kinda promised to keep an eye on him.” Marisol admitted, looking to her left while frowning. 

“And you didn’t think about including us?” Noah frowned and put down his fork. 

“We thought about it.. But we wanted to keep the plan in a smaller group at first so there was less chances for Jakub to find about it.” MC said quietly and stared at her plate sadly.

“Did any of us guys know about this plan?” Lucas questioned and everyone shook their heads. An awkward silence fell over the group for a while. 

“So, you didn’t trust us..” Gary took in a deep breath and his shoulders slumped slightly. The boys looked at each other uncomfortably.  
“It’s not that big of a deal! We would’ve told you if he had actually found something out!” Lottie explained, her body tensed up. 

“It IS a big deal to us! We’ve known each other for almost a year and we spent many days or weeks even sharing a bedroom. We’re all at least friends here. But.. Not even our own girls trust us to keep our mouths shut. Something could really be wrong with them and we need to communicate with each other to make sure Jakub is alright.” Ibrahim spoke louder than usual, clenching his fists. This really seemed to have hit him deep. 

“We’re sorry.. But now we all know, so we can better watch out for Jakub, right?” Chelsea suggested and Gary let out a long sigh. MC tried to look into Bobby’s eyes, but he avoided her eye contact completely with a hurt look on his face. She herself had a big talk about how Bobby needed to trust her more last night and now he found out that she had not trust him with something.. No surprise that he’s feeling hurt.. 

“Let’s not think about this right now.. Our food is getting cold.” Henrik sighed and resumed eating without saying anything. The rest of the boys followed suit. Priya opened her mouth to say something, but Hope quickly shook her head to her and motioned Priya to stay silent. The girls resumed eating as well in silence. 

After most of them had finished the main course, Bobby brought out the strawberries, whipped cream and ice cream in multiple bowls. Slowly people started to talk to each other more, mostly girls to girls and boys to boys. Some boys seemed more bothered than the others. This included Ibrahim, Gary and Bobby, while Henrik, Lucas and Noah didn’t seem as bothered, or then they were better at hiding their emotions. 

“Hey, let’s fill our schnapp glasses and sing some songs! I can teach you all of them!” Henrik shouted excitedly and gave everyone a little white book. Islanders exchanged unsure glances, but took the little white books and began to read through them.

“They’re all in Swedish, though..” Lottie frowned and closed her little white book sharply with one single motion. 

“You’re going to do well! Both English and Swedish are Germanic languages after all. I think Swedish is actually easier than English in many ways..” Henrik encouraged them.

“Easy for you to say..” Gary sighed and looked at the songs in disbelief. 

“Maybe we start with one song and see if we can learn that one song?” Rocco suggested and Henrik nodded approvingly.

“Yes! Okay so, I think _‘Helan Går’_ is the most popular one, so let’s go with that. Open up page 5.. I sound like a teacher!” Henrik laughed and opened up his little white book. Islanders followed suit, still unsure, “It’s really simple one, guys, you’re going to be fine!” 

“When do we drink the schnapp?” MC brought the very important issue up.

“After the last time ‘Helan går’ in mentioned!” Henrik explained, “Okay, the lyrics are pronounced like this: _“Helan går/Sjung hopp faderallan lallan lej/Helan går/Sjung hopp faderallan lej/Och den som inte helan tar/Han heller inte halvan får/Helan går/Sjung hopp faderallan lej!”_ Henrik instructed and the islanders looked at the lyrics in silence.

“Okay, it doesn’t sound too bad, I guess..” Hope admitted and Henrik flashed a big smile.

“That’s the spirit! Okay, let’s try to sing it once without taking the schnapp first.” He chuckled and the other islanders nodded, Okay. 1… 2… 3…!”

The islanders tried to sing the song. Some did better than the others. At first it sounded like Henrik was the only one singing, but soon everyone caught the melody and at least attempted to sing. Soon the song was over and some of the islanders laughed at their skills. 

“Okay, that went well! Let’s sing this now for real and drink our schnapps. Remember, after the last time _Helan går_ is sung. You can also say “ _Skål_ afterwards if you remember!” Henrik briefed and everyone took ahold of their schnapp glasses, “No one’s going to judge you for your pronunciation skills or singing skills after we’re little tipsy!” Henrik added with a laugh.

_Helan går!  
Sjung hopp faderallan lallan lej  
Helan går!  
Sjung hopp faderallan lej  
Och den som inte helan tar  
Han heller inte halvan får  
Helan går!  
[Drink]  
Sjung hopp faderallan lej  
Skål! _

The islanders were laughing afterwards, finally feeling more relaxed after the little fight they had before. Jakub still hadn’t appeared or answered Bobby’s text or picture message, but no one was really thinking about him now. Everyone finished their meals and after repeating Helan går few times, they decided to go outside to celebrate some of the other traditional Swedish Midsummer traditions, starting off with sauna, or bastu, as they call it in Sweden. They made a pact, that the boys will go first and girls afterwards. Before Bobby could go to sauna, MC stopped him. 

“I just want to talk about the whole Jakub thing befor--” MC started and Bobby tensed up slightly. He let out a sigh and shook his head sadly.

“Let’s not talk or think about it now. Let’s just concentrate on having a fun evening.” Bobby smiled, hurt still evident on his eyes. He leaned in and gave MC a small peck on her lips and turned away, walking to the sauna. MC stayed standing there for a moment, motionless, a faraway look in her eyes. She muttered a curse word before walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and even the next chapter are more about drama than horror, but after that things will hopefully really start to kick off. Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment anything :)


	9. Midsummer Magic and Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midsummer traditions in Swedish style! Sauna, magic, dancing and even little singing! Rocky seas are ahead for one of our couples..

[Sauna]  
[Girls]

The girls were sitting in the sauna, following the example that boys had set before - naked. It was a little weird at first, but in the dim lighting of the sauna they soon forgot about their nakedness. They each had made a sauna whisk for themselves and were sitting together in the sauna, talking about the boys, about the meal, about Jakub and about the creepy happenings. 

“Anyone want to whip my back?” Priya laughed and MC began to whip her back with this whisk softly, “Ooh, can you hit me harder?” She faked a moan and the girls burst out laughing. MC hit her harder, “Thanks, hun, you’re the best!” Priya praised her. 

“I bet the boys would love to see this!” Lottie grinned and the girls nodded. Soon everyone was whipping someone, either soft or rough, and they couldn’t help but giggle and laugh, “This ought to get good energies flowing!” Lottie added.

“We really need those good vibes after what went down at the meal..” Marisol sighed and picked up some sticky birch leaves off of her body. 

“Yeah..” Jo sighed and looked at her water bottle, biting her lip, “Some of them were really upset.. Did you see Rahim’s face? It absolutely broke me to see him like that..” Jo took a sip of her water. 

“I’m sure they will all come around eventually..” Hope mumbled and rubbed her temples, “This sauna is proper nice though!” she continued with a smile, trying to lift everyone’s spirits.

“I don’t think Gary took that very well either, Jo. He was frowning for a long time..” Lottie said with a sad tone, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. 

“Bobby was really upset, too. He kept avoiding my eye contact! I tried to apologize to him before he went to sauna but he said that he didn’t want to talk about it now and that he just wanted for us to have a fun evening..” MC sighed.

“But at least he didn’t completely blow you off. Or start a full-blown argument with you.” Chelsea tried to cheer MC up. MC gave her a faint smile before staring absentmindedly to somewhere faraway. 

“What I read from the guys, I agree that Rahim, Gary and Bobby seemed the most affected. Lucas, Noah and Henrik seemed to take it better, but for different reasons.” Marisol analyzed and Hannah, Hope and Chelsea turned to look at her instantly.

“Why do you think they weren’t that bothered?” Hannah asked and furrowed her brows.

“Well, first off, I feel like Noah respects everyone’s privacy. He likes his own privacy as well, and doesn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable with petty accusations..” Marisol explained and Hope beamed at her.

“My Noah is so mature..” She stated with a content smile on her face, seemingly proud that Noah handled the situation better than some of the other guys.

“Then, Henrik.. He’s kind of hard to read sometimes. I’d guess he either felt like as a host it was his responsibility to lighten up the mood and make sure that everyone is happy or then that it just wasn’t as big of a deal to him..” Marisol shrugged and looked at Chelsea for a reaction.

“Hmmh..” Chelsea thought for a while, “I think it’s the combination of both, but maybe more of that first one. He’s been a little stressed about everything going according to his plan here and he’s been so worried about something spoiling this week..” Chelsea explained.

“Henrik? Stressed? He seems like such a chill guy!” Elisa spoke up, seemingly confused.

“He is chill, but he is also really considerate about everybody’s feelings and emotions. He’s from a big family so he knows how important environmental factors are regarding dynamics and relationships..” Chelsea explained and Elisa just nodded, clearly seeing Henrik in a new light for the first time. 

“What about Lucas? Why do you think he wasn’t bothered?” Hannah asked and tapped her fingers against her water bottle. Marisol cleared her throat uncomfortably.

“Well.. I don’t know how to say this. I’m just getting a feeling that you guys.. Have kind of drifted apart. Like, you still care about each other, but the passion has burnt out..” Marisol tried to explain gently. Everyone turned to look at Hannah, waiting for her to look absolutely heartbroken or flabbergasted. But instead of crying or showing any signs of surprise, she just stared at Marisol without really any readable expression, “I’m so sorry, Hannah..” Marisol began but Hannah shushed her, smiling feebly.

“That’s true. We’ve been talking about our relationship for a while.. Way before we came here. We have both been busy with work and we haven’t really had time for each other or our relationship. And I’ve kinda come to the conclusion that our futures just look a tad bit too different. I’d like to have a family, get married and get like, 5 pets. But Lucas doesn’t want any of those. Well, maybe one or two cats, but nothing more, nothing less. He’s such a good guy, and I really like him as a person.. But I just don’t see how this could work. We haven’t officially broken up or anything, we thought that maybe this trip can either save or break our relationship. And so far.. I think it has pulled as even more apart. I’ve kinda seen his eye wandering as well..” Hannah explained, staying surprisingly calm. The girls started to look at each other warily after Hannah’s last statement.

“Who do you think he fancies?” Hope asked, her throat a little dry. She quickly took a sip of her water, clearing her throat afterwards.

“I don’t want to reveal it in case I’m mistaken.. I haven’t obviously asked him all straight-forward like ‘Hiya babe, is there a girl you like more than you like me?’ Even if I don’t necessarily love him as much as I did before, it would still hurt to hear it coming from him. He’s a good guy and I hope he can find the one for him, but it’s still so fresh..” Hannah sighed and smiled forlornly, her breath little wobbly.

“Oh, hun!” Lottie yelled and gave her a sympathetic look, “I’m sorry if Lucas wasn’t the one for you. But I’m sure you’re going to find your dream guy one day. You deserve to be in a relationship where you truly feel loved and wanted and not like a second choice!”

All the girls said something comforting and encouraging to Hannah in their own turns. When it was MC’s turn to say something nice, their eyes met and MC could have sworn that she saw a flicker of something in Hannah’s eyes that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Was it sadness? Resentment? Disappointment? 

“I’m truly sorry about Lucas, Han. You’re going to be perfect for someone, and someone is going to be perfect for you. We’ll always have your back, no matter what.” MC smiled at Hannah. Hannah’s expression was unreadable for a second, until the grinned at MC widely.

“Thank you, MC! You’re a great friend.” Hannah smiled and then it was already Priya’s turn to console Hannah, before MC could as any questions or say anything else.

MC wondered about that small glint of emotion in Hannah’s eyes as their eyes met and whatever it had meant. She still couldn’t quite figure out the main emotion - maybe it was many emotions at the same time? Could it mean that Lucas was into her? After all this time? They had been coupled up for a little while after the disaster recoupling and they had kissed once or twice as MC wanted to give them a proper chance and just wanted to go with it, as the girls had suggested. During her time at Casa Amor she came to understand that Bobby was the one for her and after Lucas had brought Blake back, she had been happy for him and told him that she still fancies Bobby. She still saved him from going home as she didn’t want to give Blake the satisfaction that she so yearned for.. And she still cared about Lucas as a friend, obviously. They never did anything inappropriate after that as MC kept grafting on Bobby and Lucas moved on to Chelsea in the next recoupling.

MC had figured out that Lucas was no longer into her, as looking back on it, it was quite evident that he had wanted to couple up with Hope or Priya at that disaster recoupling rather than with her. They still remained good friends and chatted here and there - MC had to admit that Lucas was a good-looking guy, and not only that, but charming and polite, with a little rebellious streak. But she had thought that Lucas was happy with Hannah - they had made their thing official a month after the show had ended and they had even celebrated it together as a group with a fancy dinner. They also had occasional double dates with Hannah and Lucas in the past. She felt saddened to know that their relationship was on its last legs. 

She wondered what would happen if Lucas indeed liked her and made a move on her? What would he do? When would he do it? How would she response? She thought about it hard and deep. She could never hurt Bobby, and even if Bobby wasn’t the jealous type, she didn’t want to show any signs of being flaky or unfaithful to him. Bobby was still her first choice as she had told him last night. But with how things were at Bobby at this very moment.. She kind of felt like a broad shoulder to cry on was what she exactly needed. And what if it is Lucas’ shoulder? He was always good at listening to other people’s troubles. MC quickly shook her head, mentally slapping herself for even considering doing something like that. He was even mean to her about that _Näcken_ thing or whatever. There was no way she was the one Lucas had his eyes on. Maybe he was still interested in Hope or Priya? They’re both gorgeous.. She kinda wished Lucas would fancy Priya as she is still single unlike Hope. It would work out nicely. It would be painful for Hannah, sure, but she would probably get over it with the help of her friends. 

“Umm, Earth to MC..” she heard Priya saying from somewhere far away and a rough slap on her thigh. She came to her senses and saw that Priya had whipped her with her sauna whisk. Priya was smiling as she leaned in closer to her, “There you are! What were you thinking about so intently?” 

“Oh?” MC gasped and was taken aback. The other girls were looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to answer, “I was just wondering what we’re going to do next tonight!” she lied swiftly and slipped on her most confident smile. She saw Marisol frowning at her, but luckily she didn’t call her out, but instead gave MC a cheeky wink. 

“Well, I know what you’re going to do,” Lottie frowned, “We are going to go pick up some flowers and herbs from the yard and the forest,” MC tensed up at hearing the forest being mentioned, “For my rites and rituals, then we’re going to do some spells. Hannah, you should join us! We’re going to do some love spells! Oh, and other types of spells as well. And after that we’re going to go streaking.” Lottie’s frown had turned upside down the more she spoke. MC looked at her horrified.

“Streaking?! That wasn’t part of our pact..” She said and crossed her arms and legs, pouting. 

“Don’t you sometimes just want to see your good mate all au naturel on a night of pure lust and magic?” Lottie winked before bursting out laughing, “I’m just kidding, MC! You know me. I’m never serious!” She smirked. 

“Yeah.. Never serious..” Hope muttered from under her breath. Lottie didn’t either hear or decided not to pay any attention to her. 

“Okay, but are we going to spend the whole evening and night just doing spells? I’d like to do something else as well, no offence, Lottie.” MC said nervously and gulped. 

“We will probably be dancing too! At least around the maypole, but I think the boys have something else planned too. I heard Henrik explaining something about a party to the other boys..” Elisa smiled charmingly and the girls cheered.

“Party! I love parties! And I love dancing!” Chelsea beamed and looked excited for the evening now. 

“We better go all out tonight. Who knows what might happen.. After all, Midsummer is a very special time..” Priya winked and the girls giggled. Soon, the girls decided to leave the sauna and get ready for the rest of the evening awaiting them. 

~*~

[Beach & Yard]  
[Lottie, Hannah, Chelsea, Priya, Gary, Henrik & Bobby]

MC had her favourite party dress on as she strolled to the yard with her girls Lottie, Hannah and Chelsea. They were about to do some Midsummer spells together with Lottie and Hannah when Chelsea and Priya had insisted that they wanted to come along as well. They were walking towards the beach when Lottie stopped dead on her tracks. 

“What’s wrong, hun?” Hannah questioned and tried to see what had made Lottie upset. 

“Oh no, he’s not getting away with this..” Lottie murmured and megan to power walk across the yard towards Henrik. Everyone was still just as confused as before, “Henrik! What is this?” Lottie asked and pointed to the whole area.

“Um.. A beach? A yard?” Henrik questioned, seemingly just as confused as the girls. Lottie grimaced and put her hands on her hips. 

“No! Where is my bonfire?” She demanded to know, staring intensely at Henrik. Henrik stared back at her without showing much emotion. 

“You want a bonfire?” He repeated back, trying to comprehend what is going on. Lottie sighed deeply and began to show some shapes with her hand.

“Yes. I want a bonfire,” she moved her hands wildly as she explained along, “I’ve seen some pictures of Scandinavian Midsummer celebrations and there’s always a giant bonfire! I need one for some of my spells!” She spoke like she was trying to explain something to a toddler. Henrik’s face changed into one of realization after a while.

“Oh! We don’t usually light bonfires here in Sweden during the Midsummer, save for some areas in Southern Sweden. That’s more of Walpurgis Night’s celebration tradition. I know bonfires are a big thing in the Finnish culture.. Maybe try Finland next time?” He grinned sheepishly and now it was Lottie’s time to be confused. 

“But.. But.. I need a bonfire..” She said miserably and fixed her best puppy eyes on Henrik, “Can we like, still make one, even if it’s not part of Swedish tradition? Pretty please!” She asked and Henrik considered it for a while, scratching his chin. 

“Sure, but not a giant one. Just a normal bonfire, alright? And you’re responsible that nothing sets on fire!” Henrik agreed, fighting off a smile when Lottie jumped up in the air.

“Yes! Woo! You’re the best, Henrik!” She yelled and looked victorious as she walked back to the three other girls waiting for her, “Mission accomplished!” she grinned. 

“That’s exactly what I was talking about in the sauna! Henrik is so considerate of other people’s emotions!” Chelsea smiled and gave a small wave to Henrik, blowing him a cute kiss as he noticed her. Henrik grinned at Chelsea and blew a kiss back, Chelsea catching it with a soft smile. 

“Okay girls, let’s go find some fern..” Lottie said and started to walk in the direction of the forest. The rest of the girls stayed put.

“Didn’t you say Henrik “can we” instead of “can you”.. Shouldn’t you be helping him to make the bonfire?” Priya asked and pointed at Henrik’s direction, who was currently gathering up some stones to circle the wood. Lottie looked at Priya, and then back to Henrik, and then to Priya.

“But it’s the best time to go collect fern right now!” She pouted and crossed her arms, until she saw Gary and Bobby approaching them, “Babe! Can you help Henrik with making a bonfire?” She yelled and ran up to Gary, putting her arms around his neck.

“Sure, Teetee. If that’s what you want.” Gary agreed and gave Lottie a shot kiss on the lips. Lottie grinned at him happily.

“Thank you so much! You’re such a dear,” She smiled, gave him a kiss back and then let him go, “Easy..” She mouthed to the girls.

Bobby walked right past Lottie and stopped in front of MC, taking in a deep breath before speaking, “You’re looking wonderful tonight.. Just wanted to tell you that.” He spoke and let his hand subtly brush against MC’s hand as he walked past her. 

“Bobby, wait..” MC whispered and turned to him. Bobby stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her, face unreadable. They just stood in silence, well aware that the girls were looking at them with keen interest. 

“What?” Bobby asked when MC remained quiet. MC tried to gather her thoughts, her heart beating fast. It almost felt like she was on Love Island again. Like millions of people were watching her. Like someone could just come in and turn Bobby’s head at any moment. Like she was about to tell Bobby for the first time that she was indeed interested in him as more than friends. All of those emotions came back to her all at once, taking her breath away. She shook her head, took two steps forward so she was closer to Bobby and turned to look at him straight in the eyes, ignoring her ever-pounding heart and growing anxiety.

“Bobby, I am so so sorry.. I treated you unfairly yesterday as I blamed something on you that I was actually doing myself. My words cannot express how sorry I am,” she said while taking ahold of Bobby’s hand, squeezing it tight, “But I won’t give up on you. I won’t give up on us. I won’t stop choosing you as long as you want to keep choosing me. You’re the only one for me, Bobby, and I want you to know that. There’s so much more I want to say to you, to show to you, but I’m afraid I’d just start bawling my eyes out if I went on much further..” She laughed while her eyes were already glistening with tears. Bobby pulled her closer and MC hid her head against his shoulder, gripping his shirt and secretly breathing out his familiar scent. 

“Is she proposing to him?” She heard Chelsea whispering to Priya, Lottie and Hannah. 

“I don’t think so, but it’s still well cute..” Hannah said and MC could imagine that she was smiling. Hannah was a person to smile at cute things like that.

“They’re so precious..” Lottie whispered and MC could hear she was getting emotional, probably about to shed a tear for this scene. 

“This trip has really been tough for some of the couples..” Priya sighed. 

“MC.. I was angry at first, but you know me, I’m not someone who stays angry for very long. Especially towards the people I really love. I just wanted to see if you would apologize and how this all would affect you. Didn’t realize you felt that bad about it.. Had I known, I would’ve come and spoke to you first,” Bobby spoke, soothingly caressing MC’s hair, “I love you loads, MC.” He assured MC, pulled away and gave her a kiss, smiling gently and wiping her tears away.

When Bobby pulled away from MC, she could for a few seconds see Lucas standing on the dock, looking in their direction. Lucas was wearing one of MC’s favourite outfits, the one that MC would always compliment. He raised a single eyebrow at her when she saw her looking at him before smirking mysteriously and turning away to look at the lake. MC was confused, but had to turn her attention back to Bobby as he angled for a kiss. They shared an emotional kiss that made MC forget all about Lucas for a while. Bobby and MC pulled away, both smiling widely. 

“I’m going to go help Gary and Henrik with the fire. You go and create your spells with the girls. Don’t hex me!” Bobby laughed and brushed MC’s cheek before turning away and joining Gary and Henrik. MC watched after him, a warm smile on her lips.

“Okay MC, let’s go get the ferns!” Lottie demanded and MC turned back to them, grinning from ear to ear, a burden lifted from her shoulders.

“Well, someone’s really happy..” Priya smirked. MC laughed alongside her friend and they started to make their way towards the forest. MC could feel a pair of eyes on her back, following her as she made her way towards the forest, but she kind of didn’t even want to know who was looking at her. Bobby? Lucas? The stalker? Right now it didn’t matter to her. She had Bobby all to herself. 

After looking for some plants and flowers in the forest for about half an hour, Lottie was happy enough with it. They made their back to the yard, finding a burning and waiting bonfire. 

“Wicked!” Lottie grinned and walked up to the fire, taking a deep breath. 

“So… Are we gonna start with the rituals and spells?” MC asked and Lottie shushed her. 

“I’m trying to ground myself and align my chakras right now..” She said, eyes closed. She stood perfectly still as the girls waited for her to finish whatever she was doing, “Okay, let’s start with a general spell. It is said that to which direction the smoke of a bonfire points, tells us who will marry first. So MC, go to the opposite of me, then Priya, yo go there, Chelsea there and Hannah, you go there!” The girls followed Lottie’s orders, going to the places she pointed. Some of the girls exchanged nervous glances.

“I don’t think I’m going to be the one..” Hannah sighed sadly and looked at the flames.

“I don’t love my odds either, hun..” Priya whispered and offered Hannah a comforting smile. Suddenly the wind picked up and the girls held their breath. Suddenly, MC’s eyes started to sting and she needed to turn away from the fire, coughing. A familiar smell filled her nostrils. Smoke. 

“Oh em gee, MC will get married first!” Chelsea gasped, “Yay! I want to be a bridesmaid!” She sounded elated as she ran up to MC and hugged her excitedly. MC laughed at her friend’s enthusiasm.

“Chill, Chelsea, I haven’t been proposed to yet!” She hugged her friend back with a broad smile, “And if I ever get married, Chels, you can be the maid of honor!” Chelsea let go of MC and looked at her, surprised.

“Really?” her voice nearly cracked as she waited for MC’s affirmation. MC nodded her head and Chelsea grinned, “Yes! I would be honored! If I ever get married, you’ll totally be my maid of honor as well!” she shouted happily. 

“Weren’t you wishing that the smoke would’ve turned to your direction, Chels?” MC questioned with an amused smirk. Chelsea looked puzzled as she thought for a while.

“Nah.” She shrugged nonchalantly. 

“Nah?! I thought things were going well with you and Henrik!” Priya gasped and looked shocked.

“They are! I really like him!” Chelsea squealed and shot a look at where Henrik was chatting with the boys.

“Like? You have been a thing for nearly a year, I think liking him is an understatement..” Lottie frowned and looked confusedly at Chelsea.

“Yeah, like I really like him and I would love to marry him one day but I just have always shipped you and Bobby so hard. I think I’m gonna cry when I’ll see you in a white dress for the first time..” Chelsea admitted smiling. 

“You’re so sweet, babes!” MC laughed and smiled back at Chelsea. 

“Okay, let’s go to the next little spell. Let’s go behind the sauna!” Lottie declared and began to stride towards the building. The girls followed her with confused faces.

“So that whole drama about the bonfire was just about doing one spell?” Priya sighed as she walked behind Lottie. 

“I guess so..” Hannah sighed and looked a little upset about something. Did she hold onto that small glimmer of hope that maybe she would be the first to tie the knot?

The girls walked behind the sauna and found a big stack of firewood. They stopped before it and Lottie spoke, “Okay Hannah, walk backwards onto that stack of wood.” she ordered.

“W.. What?” Hannah asked, confused. 

“Just do it!” Lottie yelled and Hannah winced, turned around and walked towards the stack of wood. Lottie followed her every step, her green eyes intensely on Hannah’s ass.

“Is she checking Hannah’s bum out?” MC wondered out loud. Priya shrugged at her, equally confused. When Hannah finally hit the stack of wood, Lottie ushered her out of the way and took out one of the logs.

“And now you do the same, Priya!” she exclaimed and without even questioning her, Priya did the same and the same exact thing happened. Lottie looked at the two logs.

“Do I need to do this too?” Chelsea asked and looked like walking backwards into a stack of firewood was the last thing on Earth she wanted to do.

“Nah, just these two..” Lottie replied absentmindedly and Chelsea let out a long breath she had been holding in, “Okay, so the log will tell us what kind of lover you will have. Hannah, your log doesn’t have a cleft, which means you will fall for a single man. Priya, your log has a cleft, meaning you will fall for either a married man or a widower.” Lottie explained.

“Wouldn’t be the first time..” Priya laughed sadly and peered at her log. 

“I guess that sounds good to me!” Hannah smiled put her log back in the stack. Priya followed suit and they all turned to Lottie, “Any more spells?” 

“Plenty! Follow me.” Lottie laughed and led the girls to the docks. It was completely empty, “Now, this works better if you’re naked but let’s just keep out clothes on for now. This is a simple one. Think about love and whatnot and then take a look at the lake. You’re supposed to see your future husband’s face in the reflection. I’ll go first!” Lottie exclaimed and sat down on the dock, peering down to her own reflection. The rest of the girls looked at her, only seeing Lottie’s own reflection in the water. Suddenly Lottie gasped and jumped up, “I saw something! I saw someone!” she grinned, sounding like an excited little girl. The girls exchanged looks, but just shrugged and smiled at Lottie’s enthusiasm. 

Hannah went next. She looked at her reflection longingly, shoulders little slumped, clearly not expecting to see anything. The water flickered and her eyes lit up just for a second, “I.. I thought I saw something.. I’m not really sure what, though..” She admitted, flabbergasted and stood up with wobbling legs from the shock. 

Chelsea wanted to go next, so she sat down and began to wait, mumbling something about love, marriage and baby carriages. She then held her breath and looked at the reflection. Her eyes widened, “Oh no, one of my eyelashes has come off.. Better make a wish!” she laughed and blew her eyelash away. Then she took another look back at the reflection, “Oh em gee! That’s not me!” she yelped and stood quickly up. 

Priya went before MC. She rolled her eyes before sitting down and staring at the water. She waited. And waited. And waited. 

“You’re not wishing hard enough!” Lottie encouraged her, helping her out. Priya sighed and kept looking at her reflection. Suddenly, she furrowed her brows.

“That was strange..” She said and got up, brushing the dust off her clothes and walking next to MC, “Now’s your turn, hun.” 

MC gulped and walked to the edge, sitting down. The water was dark and murky, an endless depth of mystery. She wished for love, for affection, for understanding and for unity of two hearts. She took a deep breath, concentrating on her wishes. Just then, she saw something weird. A greenish-gray hand with long fingers and nearly webbed fingers with long, dark nails on her right shoulder. She couldn’t tear her eyes away, wondering what in the world could cause something like that to appear. Was it the sun? Or a twig in the water? No one was touching her real shoulder. Suddenly, Bobby’s face appeared on her left side, startling her, “Ah!!” MC yelled and almost fell into the water as she stood up, powerful arms grabbing her by her waist before she could. She turned around to see Bobby holding her.

“What were you guys doing?” Bobby grinned and pulled MC farther away from the edge before letting go, “Did I startle you, lass?” He asked tentatively. 

“Bobby! You ruined MC’s spell!” Lottie frowned and crossed her arms annoyedly. 

“Oh? What kind of spell? I just thought you were looking at your reflections from the water.” Bobby asked, turning to Lottie, raising his eyebrows. The girls giggled, looking at both Bobby and MC with knowing smiles on her faces.

“A love spell! You’re supposed to see your future husband’s reflection in the water!” Lottie explained, still annoyed about the whole ordeal. 

“Well, it’s a good thing that I appeared in the reflection then. But then again, I’m the real deal, too.” Bobby winked at MC before smiling at Lottie. Lottie couldn’t help but smile too, realizing where Bobby was coming from.

“I guess that’s true. Well MC, you also saw your future husband’s reflection then it seems!” Lottie grinned at the pair. MC blushed and gazed at the water behind her. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary there.

“Oh yeah, Henrik sent me to get you. A party is about to begin.” Bobby informed the girls.

“A party! Yes! I’ve been waiting for this!” Chelsea squealed and started to run towards the yard. MC, Priya, Lottie, Hannah and Bobby laughed and followed quickly behind her, leaving the murky waters and Midsummer spells behind.

~*~

[Beach & Yard]  
[Everyone]

The girls and Bobby arrived to the yard, music already booming. There were some tables around stacked with drinks and some snacks. The bonfire was still roaring and the soft sounds of water were drowned by the music. They decided to the big group that was already dancing and mingling, shouting at each other over the music.

“Oh, there you are! Come and dance!” Jo called out and beckoned them closer. They abided, walking closer and danced with the rest of the islanders present. MC danced close to Bobby, occasionally brushing against him playfully. 

“How did the spells go? Did you get any good fortune?” Elisa laughed and winked at the girls, “I filmed some of your spells from afar.. They were hilarious to watch without context.” 

“Totally! We learnt that MC’s going to get married first out of us and that Priya’s lover is going to be married or a widower and Hannah’s lover is going to be single!” Lottie smirked.

“You’re getting married, MC?” Bobby questioned with a playful smile of his features, “To whom may you owe that pleasure?” he questioned with a wink.

“Oh, I don’t know, depends who gets to me first, I guess..” MC grinned and rolled her eyes in a teasing manner, biting her lip softly, dancing against Bobby.

“Oh? You have many suitors then? How can I, a poor hospital caterer, ever compare to your noble suitors?” Bobby sighed dramatically and pulled his best attempt of puppy eyes.

“Just bake me some goods and promise to give me kiss every morning and every evening..” MC smiled and snaked her arms around Bobby’s next as the song changed from a quick-based disco song to a beautiful ballad. Bobby’s hands found MC’s waist and they gazed at each other lovingly.

“Well, I can promise you that much..” Bobby smiled and it seemed like they hadn’t just had a big fight before. They were semi-aware that Elisa was filming them for her vlog, but right now nothing else existed in the world but them.

“You better start proving yourself then, starting from today..” MC whispered into Bobby’s ear and they shared an intimate, intense kiss, perfectly melting into each other. 

“I don’t know what I would do without you..” Bobby sighed contently as they pulled apart, continuing to sway together until the slow song slowly died out and more upbeat music came back. Then MC noticed Henrik and Noah carrying some kind of machinery to the yard, plugging it with many meters of extension cord. MC tried to figure out what in the World were they doing, not quite figuring out what that machine was supposed to be before they laid it down. 

“Is that a karaoke machine? Where were to hiding that?” MC asked and everyone turned to look at Henrik and Noah, Henrik turning to them with a bright smile.

“Yeah! My aunts and uncles really love karaoke so they bought a karaoke machine here..” Henrik explained and slapped the machine, creating a loud bang.

“So, are we going to sing karaoke now or..?” Marisol furrowed her brows and kicked the ground awkwardly, crossing her arms. She didn’t seem to be psyched about the karaoke machine.

“No, we just brought this here and plugged it in for the aesthetic..” Noah sighed, causing most of the other islanders to laugh.

“Noah is making a comeback with his one-liners!” Bobby yelled and Noah smiled at him, remembering that line from their time on Love Island. 

“So on the other words, heck yeah we’re gonna sign! And guess which artist’s songs are on this bad boy?” Henrik questioned and Chelsea gasped.

“ABBA! I want to sing Dancing Queen!” Chelsea clapped her hands together excitedly.

“You got it, babe!” Henrik laughed and turned the machine on. Chelsea turned to MC with pleading eyes.

“Do you want to sing Dancing Queen with me? I would feel too awkward to go up there alone..” She frowned, giving MC puppy eyes. 

“Sure!” MC agreed and noticed with her peripheral vision that Priya was looking at them, trying to hide her disappointment silently. MC whispered something to Chelsea, who nodded excitedly and MC walked up to Priya, “You want to join us, too?” She smiled and Priya’s face brightened up instantly.

“Yes! I’d love to. Let’s be the new Destiny’s Child together!” She winked and the girls walked up to Henrik who was operating the machine, telling him their song of choice, not surprising anyone. Henrik nodded and put the song on. The familiar melody flowed in.

_Oooh  
You can dance  
You can jive  
Having the time of your life  
Ooh, see that girl  
Watch that scene  
Digging the dancing queen!_

The girls sang together in a perfect melody. Chelsea’s voice was the most high-pitched, while Priya’s voice was much lower and more mature and MC’s voice was somewhere in the middle, creating a great sound. They moved their hips and legs to the melody, enjoying their moment in the imagined spotlight. They were singing for each other, but also for their audience. MC noticed that Elisa had her phone out again.

_Getting in the swing  
You come to look for a king  
Anybody could be that guy  
Night is young and the music's high_

MC saw many pairs of eyes on her specifically. Bobby was looking at her, smiling happily and cheering them on. His amber eyes were full of pride and admiration, screaming out ‘ _That’s my girl! Look at how wonderful she is!’_ She could also swear that Lucas was eyeing her, though she tried to tell herself that he was looking at Priya.. His eyes were dark and he had a smouldering look on his face as the girls swayed their hips and sang their hearts out. MC also caught Noah stealing careful glances at her, just like he had sometimes done on Love Island. He was such an enigma. 

_You're a teaser, you turn 'em on  
Leave 'em burning and then you're gone  
Looking out for another  
Anyone will do  
You're in the mood for a dance  
And when you get the chance_

The song was drawing near to the end, when MC saw someone approach from the forest. She couldn’t tell at first who it was.. And she was even more confused when she saw a second, smaller figure approaching! Maybe two of the islanders had sneaked out for something fun? She tried to concentrate on the song, but kept a keen eye on the approaching figures. Neither Priya or Chelsea seemed to notice them as they were too engrossed with their performance. As the song ended, the others islanders cheered and applauded. As they were quieting down, another pair of clapping hands joined in and MC could finally tell who one of the figures were.

“Great song, girls!” Jakub complimented the girls with a grin on his face. 

“Jakub! There you are! Where have you been the whole day?” Hope yelled surprised as the islanders turned to look at Jakub. The other figure walked closer, somewhat timidly. The other figure was a girl dressed in a long summer dress. MC wasn’t sure how could someone be so ordinary-looking yet gorgeous at the same time. She certainly was something one would call a true natural beauty.. She had long, auburn hair and big amber eyes. Her eyelashes were long and pronounced, and she had high cheekbones. She was rather slim and petite, taller than Marisol but shorter than Chelsea. She smiled meekly and gave everyone a small wave. 

“Hello, everyone. Jakub has told me a lot about you guys. My name is Ulrike, it’s so nice to meet you.” the mysterious woman spoke, her Swedish accent evident as she talked. The boys were staring at her without shame, and even Marisol and Elisa couldn’t help but stare at her. There was a certain charm to her that seemed to captivate many.

“Hello, Ulrike! My name is Hope! You want to join us in our Midsummer celebrations?” Hope spoke up first, walking up to Ulrike and shook her hand firmly. Her jaw was slightly clenched, but she maintained a warm smile.

“That would be an absolute pleasure!” Ulrike smiled charmingly and looked around, “I see you’re singing karaoke here? I thought I heard Dancing Queen. Excellent choice!” She complimented and Chelsea was beaming proudly at her. 

“So you’re the reason Jakub had been sneaking off and coming back all tired, huh?” Rocco chuckled and Ulrike blushed, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Jakub smiled all contently, buffing his chest proudly. 

“She’s been keeping me busy alright,” Jakub laughed and snaked his arm around Ulrike protectively. 

“So, where did you come from? Are you the daughter of one of our closest neighbors, or…?”   
Henrik inquired carefully with a warm smile on his face.

“Yeah! My parents cottage is over there..” Ulrike smiled and pointed at the direction they came from. Henrik raised a single eyebrow on her

“Oh yeah! What’s your mother’s name? I seemed to have forgotten her name, she’s such a lovely lady..” Henrik asked.

“Um.. Her name in Anna. Anna Holmstad.” She quickly answered, fidgeting with her hands.

“Yeah, that’s it! Anna. She’s such a sweetheart, lent us some sugar and eggs once..” Henrik laughed, but for just a second his smile faltered as he looked at Ulrike warily.

“Hey Henrik, can I sing next?” Lucas asked politely and walked up to Henrik, whispering something in his ear. Henrik grinned and nodded, walking back to the machine and tapping something. Lucas got ready on his place, a microphone in his hand, smiling confidently in front of the crowd. Another melody began to play out, this one already sounding more intense and deep than the one before.

_People everywhere  
A sense of expectation hanging in the air  
Giving out a spark  
Across the room your eyes are glowing in the dark  
And here we go again, we know the start, we know the end_

Lucas’ voice was smooth and deep as he eyed the grow intensely. He looked surprisingly comfortable performing to a group, as if he was on his element. He ran his hand through his black and shiny hair, smirking at the crowd as he moved to the sultry rhythm. MC’s heart skipped a beat when Lucas’ eyes landed on her for a second too long before moving on to someone else. 

_I'm really glad you came, you know the rules, you know the game  
Master of the scene  
We've done it all before and now we're back to get some more  
You know what I mean_

Lucas’ was really concentrated into the song, his expression smouldering. He moved his hips seductively to the song, opening some more of his shirt buttons. Some of the girls whistled, but MC remained quiet. Her cheeks reddened when Lucas looked at her and gave her a cheeky, secret wink. Lucas smirked at MC’s reaction, amused, before teasingly looking away. Was he flirting with her through an ABBA song or was she just imagining things?

_Voulez-vous (ah-ha)  
Take it now or leave it (ah-ha)  
Now it's all we get (ah-ha)  
Nothing promised, no regrets  
Voulez-vous (ah-ha)  
Ain't no big decision (ah-ha)  
You know what to do (ah-ha)  
La question c'est voulez-vous_

Lucas’ French pronunciation was on point. MC wondered if he could actually speak French.. MC stared at Lucas as the song was about to end and suddenly felt really aware of another pair of eyes fixed on her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Bobby exchanging glances between Lucas and MC, a thoughtful look on his face.. Was he onto something? Bobby frowned before shaking his head, a warm smile quickly returning to his lips as he cheered at Lucas as he sang the last word. Everyone applauded him excitedly and Lucas bowed with a grin.

“He seemed to be really into that song!” Jo yelled to MC and MC noticed Hannah looking at their direction, quickly turning her head when she saw that MC had noticed her looking.

“Yeah, I guess so…” MC mumbled absentmindedly and walked to one of the tables to fetch herself a drink. Lucas’ performance had left her thirsty..

“You must be MC, right?” A voice with a thick accent asked from behind her. MC jumped and turned around to see Ulrike, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you! I’m just trying to get everyone’s name..” Ulrike apologized and MC smiled at her.

“Yeah, I’m MC! Nice to meet you!” She exclaimed and offered Ulrike a glass, “Drink?” She asked.

“No, but thank you for offering..” Ulrike smiled sheepishly, “So.. You’re together with Bobby?” She inquired with a mysterious smile.

“Yes. We’ve been an official thing for almost a year now.” MC explained and looked for Bobby with her eyes. She spotted him talking to Henrik. 

“I hope you don’t mind me asking.. But is there something between you and Lucas? You were playing a fun little game just now after all..” Ulrike chuckled nervously.

“What game?” MC spluttered out, surprised by Ulrike’s quick observation.

“I could be mistaken but I think he was looking at you quite flirtatiously when he sang and you seemed to like that attention as you returned his gazes and kept blushing..” Ulrike explained and MC frowned.

“I don’t know whether he kept looking at me or not, but I didn’t do anything to encourage that type of behavior! And I am 100% devoted to Bobby!” MC quickly explained and Ulrike looked thoughtful, as if she was trying to remember or memorize something.

“Oh! I didn’t mean to offend you, MC. Please forgive me! I could’ve misjudged the situation..” She admitted with a careful smile on her face, “Look, Bobby’s about to sing!” She added and pointed at Bobby who was holding the microphone in front of the crowd like a professional. He was in a punk band before after all.

MC walked a little closer, wanting to be there to support his man. She was sure Bobby was going to sing something light-hearted and fun, like ‘Rock me’ or ‘When I kissed the teacher’, so she was in for a surprise when dramatic music began to play.

_I wasn't jealous before we met  
Now every man I see is a potential threat  
And I'm possessive, it isn't nice  
You've heard me saying that smoking was my only vice  
But now it isn't true  
Now everything is new  
And all I've learned has overturned  
I beg of you_

Bobby seemed more serious as he sang. His voice was good - really good, in fact. He still had his signature smile, but MC could see through that already. Bobby was concentrated, even little rigid, which was so unlike him. Was Bobby nervous? Or was he even jealous? Bobby certainly wasn’t the jealous type, but that didn’t mean he could never get those types of feelings. Maybe this was Bobby’s challenge to Lucas after his rather sensual performance? Slowly Bobby began to warm up to performing, letting himself have some more fun.

_It was like shooting a sitting duck  
A little smalltalk, a smile and baby I was stuck  
I still don't know what you've done with me  
A grown-up man should never fall so easily  
I feel a kind of fear  
When I don't have you near_

Bobby shot long and meaningful glances to MC throughout the song, accompanied with warm smiles and playful winks, even if the song’s tone was rather serious. Bobby was back in his element as the one to make everyone smile and laugh as he began to act as if he was in the song’s music video, all dramatic and wonderful. MC smiled as his attempt, happy that he was back to acting like his cheerful self yet again.

_Don't go wasting your emotion  
Lay all your love on me  
Don't go sharing your devotion  
Lay all your love on me_

As the song came to an end, Bobby only had eyes for MC and her beautiful smile and angelic laughter in the crowd. He saw Lucas looking at  
her as well, frowning, and his heart ached. He wanted to see everyone happy and all loved up, but he wouldn’t let MC slip through his fingers. Lucas had told about his current situation with Hannah to the boys before the trip and ever since then he had suspected that Lucas might have a small crush on MC. His MC. Right at that moment he really related with the beginning of the song: _‘I wasn’t jealous before we met_ ’.. He had never felt as protective or jealous about anyone else before. Only MC could ignite those feelings within him. And that’s why he needs to keep fighting for her, keep her close, prove to her that he would cherish her for the rest of their lives..

The islanders cheered at Bobby and complimented his singing voice and performance. Bobby smiled at everyone, thanking them sincerely as he made his way through the crowd towards his love. MC smiled at him broadly, praising him and giving him a small peck on his cheek. And that was everything Bobby could ever ask for - his lass by his side, encouraging him and choosing to shower him with some love and affection every now and then.

After them, no one seemed to be up to go up there and sing, so Henrik decided to bite the bullet and picked up the microphone, Chelsea cheering him on. He decided to sing ‘Does your mother know?’ MC noticed that Ulrike had disappeared from her side, probably to get to know some of the other islanders and mingle with her new acquaintances.. Or maybe she was off to somewhere private with Jakub, more power to her. Henrik’s performance stifled some laughter as the song was really upbeat and Henrik tried to imitate Agnetha’s voice at her parts. At least he had the hair for that part.

“Why did you choose that song? Isn’t it kinda odd?” Hope asked Henrik when he finished, who blushed ashamed before answering.

“As a child before I even knew English, I used to bob along to this song all the time.. It always made me laugh!” He explained with a grin, reminiscing his childhood. 

“I can imagine that!” Ibrahim laughed and patted Henrik’s back, “That was a solid performance! This whole day has been pretty solid too, mate! Thanks for this day!” Ibrahim smiled at Henrik.

“Thanks mate!” Henrik grinned and gave a quick bro -hug to Ibrahim, who returned it, “Does anyone else want to still sing” He questioned the group inquisitively. Most of them shook their heads, until Hannah lifted her hand up.

“I could give it a try!” Hannah smiled confidently and walked to the machine. MC remembered the time when she sang Que Sera Sera and how shrill and wobbly her voice had sounded that night.. Hannah picked her song after taking a short look at Lucas and MC.

_I don't want to talk  
About the things we've gone through  
Though it's hurting me  
Now it's history  
I've played all my cards  
And that's what you've done too  
Nothing more to say  
No more ace to play_

The winner takes it all.. How ironic. MC gulped silently after she realized which song and for what reasons Hannah had picked her song. The song was calm, and so was Hannah as she sung from her heart. Her voice was still high-pitched, but she held herself together better and she hit the notes well. The girls exchanged worried looks between themselves, remembering their conversation in the sauna earlier that evening.

_But tell me does she kiss  
Like I used to kiss you?  
Does it feel the same  
When she calls your name?  
Somewhere deep inside  
You must know I miss you_

MC wondered how much in love with Lucas Hannah still was. She had compared herself to a swan before on Love Island - when she commits to someone, she wants to see it till the bitter end. In the sauna Hannah had said that she’s mostly over Lucas, but maybe she was just keeping up a brave face for the sake of the others? MC glanced at Lucas, who was staring at Hannah eyebrows furrowed and a frown on his face. He looked genuinely sorry about how things had gone with her.

_I apologize  
If it makes you feel bad  
Seeing me so tense  
No self-confidence  
But you see  
The winner takes it all  
Th winner takes it all_

He held the last long note well and powerfully, pouring a lot of emotions onto the song, closing her eyes until the music died out. Everyone was frozen in place, surprised by her choice, skills and emotions, probably sensing that there was something in the air. Finally Lottie began to applaud loudly, cheering for her friend and soon the other islanders joined in. Hannah opened her eyes and beamed at the audience, bowing elegantly. Her eyes were teary, but she also seemed somehow relieved. Maybe this was her way of saying goodbye to Lucas and making amends with the fact that their relationship was over? MC noticed Lucas looking at Hannah with a sad smile. Hannah walked up to him gingerly, maintaining a sweet smile on her lips. She brushed her hand against Lucas’ cheek gently before engulfing him into a warm hug. MC saw Hannah trembling and felt a pang of guilt in her heart, even if their breakup wasn’t inherently her fault. She saw Lucas and Hannah speaking to each other silently before walking off together, probably to have a serious conversation. 

“Do you think they…?” Chelsea whispered in MC’s ear and sniffed, holding in tears 

“We cannot be sure before they confirm it but.. I think they might have just broken up..” MC whispered back to her, feeling genuine sadness for her friends. But it was highly unlikely that all of the couples would stay together forever after the show and it was surprising how many of them had made it this far, “Bobby, did you know about..?” He began asking Bobby who slowly nodded his head.

“Lucas had talked about it before the trip but we obviously didn’t know they would break up like, right now, right here..” Bobby sighed deeply and glanced at MC with sorrowful eyes, “It’s too bad, isn’t it? I hope they can still get along and that they don’t have to feel awkward around each other..”

“I think they still have a lot of love towards each other, but not the romantic and passionate type of love. I think they’ll be fine..” MC smiled forlornly and took ahold of Bobby’s hand, squeezing it tight. 

The islanders started to drift off to their own ways after that, most of them shaken up with what had just happened. MC decided that she wanted to take a little walk around the yard and beach before heading for her bed. She was walking all alone, as most people had headed inside already. She was listening to the birdsong when she was interrupted by some other sounds coming from the forest. Against her own better judgment and previous experiences with following unknown noises, she decided to find out what was going on.

She walked as quietly as she could, imagining herself to be one with nature as she tiptoed behind the trees. She soon came across a small clearing where the sounds seemed to be coming from. She froze as she saw something unbelievable in front of her eyes, quickly hiding behind a large tree.

There, on a fallen tree trunk, sat Rocco and Ulrike, embracing and kissing each other feverishly. Rocco’s hand was massaging Ulrike’s breast and Ulrike’s hand was inside his trousers. MC felt disgusted to look at them, but couldn’t look away either. She felt embarrassed, weirded out and angry that Ulrike was playing two guys at the same time. They hadn’t even known that she had existed three hours ago and now she was already causing unneeded drama.

“I want you so much..” Rocco groaned in pleasure and panted heavily.

“I’m going to make sure this is going to be an unforgettable Midsummer for you, Rocco..” Ulrike smiled sweetly as she pushed Rocco on his back, straddling him and throwing her head back in pleasure as she began to lower herself onto his… And that’s when MC began to feel nauseated and silently yet quickly walked away from the clearing. She could still hear their moans. She felt dirty, disgusted and confused after what she had just witnessed.

She walked back to the cottage and saw Jakub eating some leftovers from the meal. Jakub looked up to MC with a smile.

“Hey! Have you seen Ulrike?” Jakub asked and MC froze for a second. Should he tell him? He deserved to know even if he had made some errors himself. But he seemed so happy and relaxed with Ulrike.. Maybe they were just friends with benefits, nothing serious? That must be it..

“No.. No I haven’t. Maybe she headed home? It’s getting late after all..” MC said nervously, trying to forget what she had just seen. Jakub frowned but just shrugged.

“Maybe.. I wish I could have had time to ask her to spend the night.. She doesn’t look like it but she’s a real freak..” Jakub laughed and licked his lips, sending a shiver of disgust down her spine.

“Oh? Lucky you then..” MC feigned a surprised laugh, “Well, I’m going to get ready for bed. Good night, Jakub!” She quickly excused herself.

“Yeah! Night, MC!” Jakub called after her and MC quickly looked for her pajamas, changed into them and washed her face, going to her bunk below Bobby. Lottie and Gary had gotten the double bed tonight.. So they shared their room awkwardly with only Hannah and Lucas. Hannah was curled up in her bunk, hugging a pillow. Lucas was nowhere to be seen.

“Good night, lass! Sleep tight!” Bobby called from the upper bunk. MC smiled at hearing his voice, closing her eyes.

“Good night, love..” She said softly and cuddled up for yet another night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If someone is actually from Sweden and notices some errors with the traditions, you’re probably right! I added in some Finnish Midsummer traditions as I’m more familiar with those and some of them helped me to move the story along..


	10. Empty Hands, Empty Rooms and Empty Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannah and MC get serious. Breakfast time awkwardness. A new problem rises its ugly head.

MC woke up with tired eyes and checked the time on her phone. It showed 6.45. MC glanced at the room - Lucas and Bobby were still sleeping soundly but Hannah was gone. MC stood up, stretching and tiptoeing to the bathroom with new clothes. She got ready, taking a quick glance at the other bedroom. Jakub was gone, but everyone else was still in their beds.

“Guess Ulrike has another dick appointment..” MC sighed silently and closed the bedroom door. She went to the living room - the three girls were still sleeping. Elisa stirred in her sleep and MC feared that she had woken her up, but instead she switched to another sleeping position, murmuring something about hawks and owls.. MC glanced out of the cottage windows, seeing that Hannah was up and sitting all alone on the dock, dipping her feet in the lake with a faraway look.

MC considered her options. The talk could be awkward, but Hannah seemed to be in need of a friend right now. She didn’t really know what Hannah was thinking and feeling about her. Did she blame her? Was she angry at her? But then again, she wasn’t even sure if Hannah and Lucas had indeed broken up last night. Maybe it looked worse than it actually was? Ignoring her anxiety on fear, MC walked outside and headed to the dock.

~*~ 

[Dock]  
[Hannah & Bobby]

“Hey…” MC greeted Hannah gently, placing a careful hand on her shoulder, “Can I sit here?” she made sure and Hannah turned her face to see MC, smiling weakly.

“Sure. Go ahead..” She answered meekly and patted the place next to her. MC sat down and dipped her feet in the cool lake water. Hannah turned to face MC and MC studied her face carefully. She was smiling, but her eyes looked tired and had a red tint to them. Even the tip of her nose was more red than normally, as if she had the flu. They looked at each other for a while in silence, not knowing what to say, until Hannah spoke again, “I had a feeling that you would come..” she admitted silently.

“How so?” MC wondered in surprise, feeling quite silly and predictable all of a sudden.

“I don’t know.. You just seem to have a big influence here, just like you had on Love Island. You’re like a cockroach - you’re everywhere and impossible to get rid off,” Hannah laughed weakly until she noticed MC’s horrified expression, “Oh! I didn’t mean to call you a cockroach.. I just meant that you just kinda find yourself in big situations and take control of them whether you actually mean to do that or not…” she explained what she had meant earlier, avoiding MC’s gaze, cheeks blushing.

“Yeah, that’s not the first time someone has said that to me..” MC admitted, shrugging. She wondered how she should approach the topic on Hannah and Lucas’ relationship. She didn’t want to come across curious or uncaring, “So, last night.. Do you want to talk about it or would you prefer to talk about something else?” she questioned carefully.

“Oh, I’d love to think about something else, but it’s all I can think about at this moment,” Hannah sighed in despair, but still smiled at MC, “And out of everyone here, I think you’re the one person I should talk about this.” she added. MC was about to ask why, but zipped her mouth, deeming asking that inappropriate.

“So.. Are you and Lucas..?” MC started to ask but couldn’t finish her sentence, mouth moving without a sound as she thought about her next words. Hannah giggled softly and turned to look at the lake with a feeble smile on her face, as if she was thinking about an old, sweet memory. 

“We’re over. We decided mutually last night that it’s better for us to be just friends,” she explained and closed her eyes, feeling the morning breeze on her skin, “There’s no bad blood between Lucas and I, though. And there’s no bad blood between me or any other islander either,” she quickly added, her smile faltering for just a second, “It was a good conversation. Neither of us screamed at each other, neither blamed the other. Really clean and dignified. Wouldn’t have expected anything less from Lucas. Such a gentleman till the end. But that was our story. We turned all of our cards and opened every door and window that we could. But in the end, we were left with empty hands, empty rooms and an empty hearts. But I saw it all till the end.” She smiled and leaned back, laying down on the dock. Her red hair was sprawled everywhere, the morning sun reflecting back in shades of fire and copper off of it. 

“Oh Han, I’m so sorry that it’s over between you guys..” MC laid down next to her and took her hand in hers. Hannah stiffened up for a second before intertwining her fingers through MC’s. MC looked at Hannah, whose eyes were still closed. She looked so peaceful, so innocent, so vulnerable at this very moment, “We’re here for you. When we go back home, let’s do something fun.” MC suggested and Hannah hummed in agreement.

“That sounds nice.. But you don’t have to be too worried about me. I’ll be fine in time. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but… eventually. And you know what they say? Nothing helps you write a better story or poem than little heartbreak.” She chuckled and squeezed MC’s hand gently.

“I know that you’ll be fine. You’re a strong woman, Hannah,” MC exclaimed and Hannah opened her eyes, some self-confidence returning to her expression slowly, “You can get through anything, because your eyes have the capability to see beauty in the ugliness, light in the darkness and opportunities is losses. And your heart knows so much love and your hands can write tragedies into happy endings.” MC spoke and saw tears glistening in Hannah’s ocean eyes. 

“Oh, MC.. That’s one of the most beautiful things that anyone has ever said to me.. Thank you!” Hannah whispered and squeezed MC’s hand harder, a single tear escaping from her eyes. She quickly wiped it away and smiled sincerely, “I can see now why he.. Nevermind.” She stared but covered her mouth with her hand quickly, shaking her head. MC rose one of her eyebrows quizzically, but didn’t question her further. 

Hannah and MC just laid there together, hand in hand, feeling the warm morning sun on their skin. Everything was calm. The gentle waves rocked the dock, birds were waking up to the brand new day, the wind soft and warm. They felt completely at ease with each other, so comfortable that they didn’t need to speak. MC was happy that she had decided to talk to her. She felt better about herself, about Hannah, about last night. After laying there for God knows how long, a shadow fell across their faces. MC cracked one of her eyes open and it took it a while for it to adjust to the sunlight and the shadow of a person.

“Good morning, lass!” Bobby was grinning back at her and nodded his head to Hannah as well, “Good morning, Han! Hogging the sun already?” He chuckled and the girls smiled at him.

“You’re the one hogging our sun right now!” Hannah laughed and playfully furrowed her brows to Bobby, who winked back at her.

“Oh, so you own the sun? That’s news to me!” He explained, feigning a surprise and stepped away from the sun. Hannah sighed contently after getting her sunlight back.

“So Bobby, what brought you here?” MC questioned and smiled at him sweetly, Bobby returning a gentle smile.

“Am I not allowed to come and see my girl whenever I want to? I just wanted to see your beautiful face..” He grinned, tapping his nose playfully. 

“But I am chilling here with my girl Han right now. No boys allowed!” MC stuck her tongue out and playfully rolled her eyes at Bobby. 

“What if I try to imitate Lottie or Hope? Can I then join in?” He laughed and cleared her throat, “Hi Han, my bff! Gary kept talking about getting a dog in his sleep. But I like cats more! I want a black one and I want to name it Salem!” Bobby said with a high-pitched voice, pretending to be Lottie. The girls laughed at this attempt, appreciating it.

“Okay, okay. You can stay. Just don’t steal or sun anymore!” Hannah laughed and Bobby jumped up excitedly, fist-bumping the air, causing the dock to rock.

“Woah! Sorry about that!” Bobby apologized and laid down at the dock as well. They laid in the sun for a while longer, until they started to feel hungry and little overheated by the sun, walking back to the cottage, where most islanders had already woken up.

~*~

[Living room]  
[Henrik, Chelsea, Gary, Lottie, Hope, Bobby, Priya and Marisol]

The islanders were eating some of the leftovers from yesterday as no one had bothered to cook. There was a weird vibe hanging around them. People were eyeing Hannah and MC carefully as they walked in. Hannah excused herself, saying that she needed to use the lavatory. MC grabbed a bowl of strawberries and cream, sitting down on the table, watching the others back carefully. 

“Good morning MC!” Henrik finally said, breaking the silence and suddenly everyone started to whisper at the same time. What was going on? 

“Good morning, Henrik..” MC greeted the man back and shot a quizzical look at Priya. Priya avoided her gaze, staring at her breakfast awkwardly, letting her hair hang and hide as much of her face as possible.

MC tried to ask Chelsea what has happened, but she quickly stuffed her mouth with a fried egg. MC tried to make eye contact with anyone in the room, but they all turned their heads away and whispered.

MC looked at her shirt. No stains. She ran a hand through her hair. It seemed like she was looking good, “Do I have something in my face?” She questioned out loud, rubbing the corners of her mouth. Chelsea shook her head at MC sadly.

“There’s nothing wrong with how you look, babes!” She yelped and was about to add something, when Hope threw her a dirty look to shut her up. Chelsea covered her mouth quickly, “I’m not going to be a gossip-sneezer!” She said determinately. 

“Have I done something to upset anyone in here?” MC asked, already annoyed and bored with this guessing game. Priya shook her head at MC’s direction, but didn’t say anything. MC took a strawberry covered with whipped cream and ate it, eyeing the others suspiciously.

“Don’t leave MC hanging here, just speak to her!” Bobby said out loud, draping his arm around MC’s shoulder. The others exchanged unsure looks, still quiet.

MC sighed loudly and reached for her pocket that was storing her phone, only to find it empty. She tried her other pocket. Nothing. She sighed again, annoyed and frustrated, “Have you guys seen my phone?” She asked. Bobby shook her head, but everyone else seemed to stiffen up and remain motionless. Gary coughed awkwardly. MC rolled her eyes, “Well, out with it!! Have you seen my phone? Maybe I left it at the dock?” She said, feeling stressed. She stood up and was about to head for the door when Henrik pulled something out of his pocket.

A phone.

MC’s phone. 

Henrik stood up as MC made his way to him, his face unreadable. MC tried to grab her phone, but Henrik held it up too high up for her to get it.

“Well gee, it’s my phone. Can I get it back?” MC smiled dryly at Henrik, who exchanged unsure glances with the others. MC turned to look at everyone. Bobby seemed confused, but everyone else just seemed plain awkward and even guilty. 

Chelsea fiddled with her hair. Hope bit her lip. Gary was scratching his beard. Lottie fiddled with her pentagram necklace. Priya found a slice of cucumber more interesting than MC’s eyes. Marisol was cleaning her glasses with her breath and shirtsleeve.

“Yeah, about that..” Henrik cleared his throat awkwardly and grimaced, still not giving MC her phone. MC furrowed her brows and turned back to Henrik.

“About what? My phone? Why did you even have it in the first place?” MC squeezed her eyes more close suspiciously before gasping in realization, “Did you break my phone? Oh, I swear to..” She began to rant before Henrik stopped her.

“No, it’s not broken!” He quickly exclaimed, lowering his hand holding the phone just a little. It was still out of MC’s reach.

“So why can’t you just give it to me?” MC demanded to know and look at Henrik sternly, trying to intimidate him. It didn’t seem to work out that well though..

“Because.. Umm.. It’s not.. It’s not good..” Henrik stammered awkwardly and fidgeted in his place. 

“How is it not good? Everything’s going to be fine after you give me my phone. I’m the rightful owner of this device!” MC declared loud and clear. Henrik glanced at the others for support but everyone remained quiet. MC could see with her peripheral vision Bobby getting up from his seat, carefully tiptoeing across the table the way Henrik couldn’t see. MC understood his plan and continued to rant Henrik about her phone, diverting everyone’s attention to her.

Soon enough Bobby was behind Henrik, reaching for the phone. Hope tried to call him out to Henrik, but was too late. Bobby snatched the phone from Henrik, running past him next to MC, smiling victoriously.

“Thanks babe!” MC smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. They ran to the other side of the room, worried that someone could steal it back. The screen lit up and Bobby took a quick glance at it. His eyes widened and he gulped loudly. MC eyed him suspiciously, finally starting to put two and two together. But unlike the others, Bobby handed the phone to MC right away. MC took the phone carefully, the screen lighting up again, revealing new messages from the unknown number.

“We’re so sorry hun! You had left your phone at the table and we heard the notification sounds and looked at it and then you surprised us by walking in so Henrik took the phone!” Priya admitted, sounding sincerely apologetic.

MC glanced at the others, disappointed, before unlocking the phone. Messages opened up right away. Her mouth turned dry and blood ran cold as she looked at the screen. There was a new text message in Swedish and multiple pictures. 

Pictures of her from the last few days. There was a picture of her in the back terrace with the girls, zoomed in on her smiling face. There was another picture of her during the obstacle course challenge. Then there was a picture of her swimming in the lake with her friends. And another one from yesterday when she was gathering up plants and herbs with Lottie and co. last night. There was even a picture of her taken through a window and a picture of her singing with Chelsea and Priya. All of the photos were blurry, zoomed in and taken from weird angles. MC felt sick to her stomach as she scrolled through the photos. Bobby was also looking at them next to her, horrified. MC felt multiple eyes on her, waiting for a response from here, but couldn’t care less. She felt so vulnerable and bare looking at these photos, like her privacy had been disturbed and she was being mocked.

“At least he’s bad at photography..” Bobby laughed nervously, shaking MC back to reality. Some of the other islanders laughed at his joke with uncertainty. MC looked at the photos once more before scrolling to the text message.

_Varhelst du är, kommer jag alltid vara där. Ju längre du går, desto närmare kommer jag att vara._

”Okay Henrik.. It’s your time to shine. What does this message mean?” MC grimaced and showed the phone screen to Henrik. Henrik gulped and looked at MC’s eyes regretfully before sighing and taking a deep breath.

“Wherever you are, I will always be there. The further you go, the closer I will be..” Henrik translated and the room’s air suddenly felt heavy and as if all the air had been sucked out of it. Before MC could start to feel too nauseous however, Bobby walked behind her, making sure that she couldn’t fall even if she fainted. MC blinked rapidly and looked at the message, frowning. No one dared to speak for a moment as they were digesting the messages MC had received.

“This must be enough evidence for me to call the police on this guy, right?” MC asked quietly, trembling slightly, “I mean, they were taking pictures of me without my consent and that message had a threatening tone! How much creepier can that guy be!” She huffed, feeling sick to her stomach.

“Yeah, I think they could be charged with at least a fee and you could probably get a restraining order against them..” Marisol agreed thoughtfully, tapping her chin methodologically.

“We still don’t know their identity though..” Hope sighed and furrowed her brows.

“Let’s leave it to the police to figure out their identity..” Henrik frowned sternly.

“I agree. I think it’s at least good to give the police a heads up so they can proceed quickly if needed..” Priya agreed and smiled at MC encouragingly.

MC was about to dial the police when Noah, Jo and Ibrahim barged in, looking alerted. They were panting heavily, color drained from their faces.

“I think you guys should come outside quickly!” Noah exclaimed and the other islanders exchanged worried glances.

“What for?” Henrik questioned as the islanders started to get up from their seats, confused.

“You’ll see why..” Ibrahim muttered and the trio headed outside, the rest of the islanders following them. Elisa, Hannah and Lucas heard the commotion and went outside as well.

~*~

[Yard & Beach]  
[Everyone -Jakub and Rocco]

The group headed outside, Noah, Jo and Ibrahim leading the way. They were nervous as the trio hadn’t specified what’s wrong but it was evident from their behavior that something wasn't right. They ended up next to the cars, confused at first, until Lucas gasped loudly.

“The tires!” Lucas exclaimed and pointed at the wheels. Both of the cars had endures the same fate - all eight tires had been slashed, completely void of air. This had to be vandalism - there’s no way the tires just collapsed like that.

“Do you have extra wheels anywhere, Henrik?” Lottie questioned and everyone turned to look at Henrik. He scratched his head thoughtfully.

“Well yeah, but not eight of them.. I think I might have two or three..” He sighed, defeated. It was understandable that he didn’t have eight spare wheels. You usually don’t need that many of them. The islanders sighed, wondering what to do next.

“What can we do? We’re stranded here..” Chelsea groaned and looked as if she was going to burst out crying at any moment. Everyone looked at each other, trying to figure a way to solve the current situation.

“I could walk to the neighbor’s cottage and ask them if they have any spare wheels or if they would lend me their car so I could go to the closest repair shop..” Henrik suggested, all eyes glued on him. 

“That could work..” Gary thought out loud.

“I don’t think we could come up with a better plan..” Marisol sighed and nodded along.

“Can’t we just call someone to pick us up or bring a spare wheel or something?” MC sighed and Henrik shook his head.

“That would be soooo expensive!” Henrik mumbled and gritted his teeth, “It’s not going to take long for me to walk there. It’s going to be fine..” He seemed to be speaking more to himself than anyone else.

“Should one of us accompany you there?” Lucas asked, worried for his best friend.

“Nah, it’s alright! I know the terrain really well and my neighbors don’t speak English because they’re so old..” Henrik grinned, but soon his expression darkened, “That reminds me.. I don’t really trust that Ulrike girl..” Henrik frowned. The islanders became confused by his statement.

“How so?” Elisa was the first to ask the question on everyone’s lips.

“You know how I asked about her mother? I lied that I didn’t remember her mother’s name as a test. In reality I actually know them really well. So here’s what leads me to believe that she was lying: She pointed at the direction of my closest neighbor, yes, but I’m sure she was lying about her mother. The couple that lives there is over 80-years-old and that old lady’s name is not Anna. Would about 25-year-old girl have a mother that’s above 80? That’s highly unlikely! And her name is Maja..” Henrik explained and no one really knew what to say.

“Why would she lie about her family? Is there other neighbors in that direction?” Jo questioned confusedly.

“She has something to hide.. I don’t know what, but I wouldn’t take her word for anything.. And no, there are no other neighbors closeby in that direction.” Henrik explained, eyes furrowed.

“I came across something strange about her last night, too…” MC admitted silently and everyone turned to look at her. The memory of last night haunted her and the thought of what happened caused her cheeks to flush ever so slightly, “Well, she’s probably the reason Jakub has been sneaking off, right? But last night when the party ended, I decided to take a walk around the yard. I began to hear strange sounds from the forest, so I followed the sounds and came across this clearing where Rocco and Ulrike were… Getting it on..” MC explained, biting her lip nervously. The group stared at her flabbergasted, trying to wrap their heads around what she had told.

“Oh. My. Gosh. That’s crazy..” Priya breathed out and the islanders started to whisper among each other. Some of them were berating Ulrike and Rocco, some of them pitying Jakub, some of them trying to figure out Ulrike’s actual identity.

“Jakub got what he deserved after what he did during Casa Amor on Love Island..” Lottie rolled her eyes and grimaced.

“You know what, Lottie? I wholeheartedly agree with you on this one..” Hope sighed angrily.

“I feel bad for Jakub..” Chelsea pouted with a sad look in her deep blue eyes.

“I think the real problem here is Ulrike..” Hannah reminded the girls and they nodded approvingly.

“Rocco was always known as a slimeball. It doesn’t surprise me that he would stick it in on someone else’s girl..” Priya lifted her eyebrows, looking disgusted.

“We don’t know if Jakub and Ulrike were.. Um.. Inclusive? Or if it was just harmless fun with no strings attached..” Bobby butted in and some people nodded in agreement with him.

“Why would anyone be considered inclusive after knowing each other for like 2 or 3 days?” Jo wondered, biting her lip.

“You and Rahim did just that!” Elisa rolled her eyes.

“It’s not the same! I had seen him on television!” Jo defended herself, sneering at Elisa.

“Maybe Ulrike has watched Love Island UK ad well and knew all of us through that?” Noah spoke up.

“She did know my name before I told it to her..” MC wondered out loud.

“Mine too!” Chelsea gasped and some other islanders confirmed this too, “Huh.. That’s odd..” Chelsea said quietly.

“Okay everyone! I know there are lots of crazy things going on with MC’s new messages, slashed tires and our revelations about Ulrike, but I think we should solve these one at a time and I would prioritize the slashed tires as our biggest and most easily solvable issue. So let’s approach this all like this: I’ll go to my neighbors now and you guys will stay here. I’ll ask them if they know anything about this Ulrike and we’ll discuss more about the other issues when I come back, okay?” Henrik yelled, catching everyone’s attention. The islanders nodded in agreement, mumbling something quietly.

“Be careful, babe..” Chelsea said quietly, evidently worried for Henrik. Henrik flashed her a charming, warm smile, walked in front of her and put his arms on her shoulders.

“Don’t worry yourself because of me, honey. I’m going to be back before you even notice that I’m gone. And I’m very used to walking in nature and forests, so I don’t think I’m in any real danger here!” He chuckled and rubbed his nose against Chelsea's nose affectionately. Chelsea giggled at that and smiled back at Henrik.

“I know, hun. I’ll be waiting for you!” She beamed at Henrik and the two of them shared a quick kiss. 

“I’ll go pack some things in case something does happen, like if I’d hurt myself or got lost.. Obviously it’s very unlikely, but as a climbing and survival instructor I always have to be prepared!” Henrik smiled at the rest of the group and started to head towards the cottage, the rest of them following him inside.

Henrik was ready to leave after about 15 minutes. He was wearing hiking appropriate clothes, his long golden hair was tied up to a man bun and he was carrying a rucksack with him. He had packed some snacks, water, warmer clothing, rope, a lighter, a map, other shoes and a first-aid kit. He seemed to be in high spirits despite everything that had happened.

“Okay guys! I’m heading out now. I should be back before 6 pm. Stay safe, everyone!” He grinned and waved, adjusting his rucksack once more before heading outside. Chelsea looked outside of the window after him, sighing as he disappeared out of sight.

“You okay?” MC asked and placed a tentative hand on Chelsea’s shoulder. Chelsea turned her head to MC’s direction, smiling feebly at her.

“Yeah.. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.. It’s just doesn’t feel the same without him here..” She sighed and took a deep breath.

“He’s going to be back soon enough and then the car situation is going to be solved. It’s all going to turn out fine.” MC smiled at her friend encouragingly.

“I know, I know..” Chelsea’s expression brightened and she turned completely away from the window, “And I’m not helping anyone by just waiting here by the window the whole time! Do you want me to do your nails, MC” She chuckled and took MC by her hand. MC chuckled in response.

“Sure!” MC agreed and they walked to the bedrooms, in search for the perfect nail polish color for MC.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Hannah and Lucas.. Their chapter is now dead and buried it seems. Too bad, huh? And what could possibly go wrong when Henrik leaves the group?


	11. Reality Without Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's 6 o'clock and Henrik hasn't returned. Six brave islanders go looking for him, still innocent and ignorant about the dangers that lie ahead.. But trust me. They'll soon be very familiar with those dangers..

[Living Room]  
[Everyone -Henrik]

The day marched along slowly, minutes feeling torturous and hours excruciating. Most islanders spent their day inside the cottage, worriedly pacing through the living room or discussing the current situation with the others. Rocco finally woke up from his slumber and Jakub came back from wherever he was as well, but there was no sign of Henrik returning yet. The atmosphere among the islanders was careful and anticipating. Chelsea, Gary and Lucas seemed to be most affected by Henrik’s absence and became more fidgety the longer he was gone. Chelsea was probably feeling like that because Henrik was her boyfriend, Lucas because he is the closest with Henrik out of the boys and Gary because he is a natural softie but not only that, he was the first one to agree with Henrik’s plan.

The clock was mercilessly moving towards six o'clock, still without any signs of Henrik’s return. The closer it came to six, the more nauseous MC felt about this whole situation. There were so many things to worry about at that moment, and they didn’t need another problem right now with anyone disappearing. Every islander had gathered in the living room, waiting for Henrik’s return. Chelsea kept looking out of the window. Gary kept his eye on the clock. Lucas kept standing in front of the front door, opening it every once in a while to see whether his buddy would just appear there if he keeps opening and closing the door.

When the clock struck six, the whispering began. The islanders were nervously exchanging thoughts about Henrik running late, no one daring to speak up, nervously glancing at the door, at the clock, at Lucas and at Chelsea. MC kept looking at her phone absentmindedly, trying not to assume the worst, although her thoughts certainly made it hard for her.

“Should we text him?” Gary finally spoke up, 18 pairs of eyes turning to him in an instance. 

“I guess it’s worth a shot..” Lucas sighed deeply and Gary took out his phone, begging to write out a simple message. No one said anything before he had sent the text message.

“Wouldn’t you think that he would have informed us if he knew he was running late?” Marisol questioned, nervously tapping the wooden table.

“Maybe the service is bad out there.. I hope he receives the message..” Ibrahim said nervously. Gary eyed the phone screen intently, waiting for a notification sound.

It never came.

The clock’s hands ticked on as if nothing had happened, as if nothing in the world was wrong. Every tick sounded like it was laughing at the islanders, mocking them. Fear was surrounding the group, it was looking through the windows, peering through the floor cracks and crashing through the roof, taking the islanders’ breath away. MC’s leg was shaking up and down with nervous energy.

It as 6:25 pm. Henrik still hadn’t answered the message or even opened it. The last time he had opened WhatsApp was before he left. Every once in a while someone asked Gary if Henrik had seen the message, answer always being negative.

“Okay.. Okay. This is great. Okay everyone. We should probably assemble a small group to go look for him before the night comes.” Lucas spoke up eventually, sparking controversy between the group.

“He told us to wait for him here..” Elisa frowned, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her sparkly shirt. 

“But what if he’s in trouble?” Noah asked, gulping, “He might need us..”

“Should we call the emergency number?” Chelsea asked quietly, clearly worried for Henrik’s safety. 

“We don’t know for sure if he is in trouble, though..” Rocco reminded the group, but he seemed nervous himself as well.

“We don’t have much time to spare. If we’re going to go look for him, we should leave soon.” Gary muttered and looked at his hands, “I'll volunteer to go. I told him that he’s idea was good and now he’s missing. I feel guilty about it..” Gary continued and clenched his fists. Lottie touched his arm comfortingly, giving it a squeeze.

“If you go, I’ll go, babe. I'm a ride or die.” Lottie vowed to Gary with a sad smile. Gary smiled back at her, looking unsure but not protesting.

“I’ll come, too. Henrik is my best friend.” Lucas spoke out and looked at the group with determination in his eyes. Hannah stirred at the statement, but didn’t say anything. Not volunteering herself, nor protesting - just letting him go.

“And he’s my boyfriend! I’m not going to let anything bad happen to him!” Chelsea pouted and seemed scared, yet sure. Chelsea looked around the group, her whole body rigid, “MC, would you come too? I’d feel weird without you by my side as my bra..” Chelsea asked quietly, with pleading eyes. All eyes fell on MC as she thought about Chelsea’s question. The glanced at Bobby, who was looking back at her thoughtfully.

“If you decide to go, I’ll come with. I don’t mind whether you stay or leave.” Bobby reassured her with a small smile on his lips. MC noticed Lucas staring at him intensely. MC looked around the room until her eyes landed on Henrik’s sandals in front of the door, laying there all sad, lonely and abandoned. Determination filled her as she turned to look at Chelsea. 

“Okay. I’ll come with you.” MC smiled at Chelsea, who beamed back at her. 

“Then I’m coming, too!” Bobby added and squeezed MC’s hand softly. 

“Okay, I think the group is big enough now. The rest of you should wait here. Don’t move or leave even if we don’t return in a few hours or even if we’re not back before morning. We can’t afford to let the group get divided even more. Call the emergency number if there’s no sign of us or Henrik after 24 hours. We’ll take some camping equipment and food with us so we can manage.” Lucas spoke firmly, gazing at each and every islander with furrowed brows. The others nodded, eyeing Gary, Lottie, Lucas, Chelsea, MC and Bobby with worry. 

“You guys.. You’ll have to come back safe.. And I hope you’ll find Henrik..” Hope spoke up, her voice faltering just a little. 

“You don’t know the terrain as well as Henrik does.. Isn’t this plan kind of far-fetched?” Jo questioned with a grim expression on her features.

“There’s no other way. We either leave and have a chance at finding Henrik or we stay here and live in the fear that he’ll never come back.” Lucas gritted his teeth. Chelsea yelped at the statement, tears filling her eyes at the thought of Henrik never returning. Silence fell over the group as they digested Lucas’ harsh words.

“I guess so.. I’m just so worried about you guys. And obviously about Henrik, too..” Priya sighed deeply and ran her hand through her hair, nervously combing through it with her fingers.

“We’ll better get packing. Time is of the essence here.” Gary smiled dryly and stood up, Lottie quickly standing up as well. MC and Bobby stood up and glanced back at the group once before leaving to the bedrooms to gather up their stuff. Whispering soon followed between the remaining islanders, no one daring to speak out too loudly. 

MC packed some warm clothes and a blanket. She also packed some food, snacks and water, a map, a lighter and some tissues. The others packed something useful as well that complimented the list of needed items. As MC took some food out of the cupboards, her eyes caught something glistening on the counter. She turned to look at it. It was a large kitchen knife. Mesmerized by its shine, she automatically reached for it. She took to her hands, rotating it. It wouldn’t hurt to have a weapon. Just in case.. She slipped the knife inside her rucksack and closed it before joining the others.

The boys and Lottie had finished packing and the group was still waiting for Chelsea as MC joined them. MC walked next to Bobby, who took her hand and held it tight. He seemed nervous and worried as he looked on. Gary had his arm wrapped around Lottie, who was wearing sturdy army boots and sporty clothes. Lucas looked at the ground, his face paler than usual. After about five minutes standing in silence, Chelsea joined them. She walked on MC’s other side gingerly and took a deep breath.

“Thanks for coming with us..” Chelsea said to MC quietly and tried to muster out a smile for her. MC knew that she was probably the most nervous out of everyone here. MC smiled back at her encouragingly.

“It’s okay. Henrik’s my friend as well. And what would I do on my Friday nights if I wouldn’t be spending my time with you, Bobby and Henrik as a group? It wouldn’t be the same without either of you.” MC smiled at her warmly and Chelsea slowly cracked a smile back at her, remembering their fun Friday nights.

“Okay, now that we’re all here,” Lucas cleared his throat, “We’re leaving now. Please remember what I said. Don’t leave this cottage unless it’s an emergency. Don’t come looking for us. Call the police if there’s no sign of us after 24 hours. Take care of each other.” Lucas listed out what he had said before and the rest of the islanders nodded understandingly. 

“Good luck out there, everyone!” Marisol called out, furrowing her eyebrows. 

“Come back in one piece!” Jakub called out with a small smile on his face.

“Bring Henrik back with you if you can!” Hannah whispered and looked at the group with a worried expression. Her gaze lingered on Lucas for a little while longer than on the others, her expression grim.

Lucas avoided Hannah’s gaze and tapped his foot awkwardly, ready to get out of there. 

“Don’t do anything stupid or reckless!” Hope advised and held Noah’s hand. Noah showed thumbs up to the group, nodding his head once. He glanced at MC and offered her a small smile.

“Goodbye for now!” Bobby waved at everyone as Lucas opened the front door and began walking out of the door. Rest of the islanders gathered around the window as the smaller group started to walk away from the cottage, each one with a rucksack on their back.

MC felt tingling at the bottom of her stomach as they walked farther away from the summer cottage. She glanced back every once in a while until the cottage disappeared from her view. Lucas led the group with a map on his hand. Lottie and Gary followed him, then Chelsea, then MC and Bobby came last, protecting the group’s backside. The day was still warm, but the tall trees and their shadows seemed to be sucking most of the warmth and the light given to them.

~*~

[Forest]  
[Gary, Lottie, Lucas, Bobby, Chelsea]

The group has walked for an hour already, calling out Henrik’s name occasionally and kept their eyes peeled for any signs of movement or life. MC’s feet were starting to ache in the difficult terrain as the path was riddled with stones, roots and occasional fallen logs. MC still kept on going without complaining, as finding her friend safe and healthy mattered to her more.

“Henrik! Where are you? Give me a sign!” Gary boomed and they stopped to listen for any sounds. Nothing out of the ordinary. Only the sounds of nature and Gary’s lonely echo. 

“Hit me baby one more time!” Chelsea yelled and the others turned to look at her quizzically, “It’s Britney, biatch!” She added with a laugh. The others smiled at her. They had barely talked the whole time they had walked and it was nice to get back some of that silliness and humor. That was their small glint of normality.

The group walked in silence again, occasionally one of them calling out Henrik’s name. Suddenly Lottie stopped in her tracks, causing Chelsea, MC and Bobby to crash into her. Lucas and Gary heard the commotion, turning around.

“Ow! What gives, Lottie?” MC whined and rubbed her nose that had collided with back of Chelsea’s head. Lottie stayed still, listening and closing her eyes, “Hey! This is not the right time for aligning your chakras or whatever!” MC called out annoyedly.

“I saw something.” Lottie said shortly, opening her eyes and looking at the group with a grim expression.

“How did you see anything with your eyes closed?” Lucas questioned and rolled his eyes.

“No, not with my eyes!” Lottie explained, little flustered about how that sentence came across, “With my sixth sense! My intuition! My third eye!” She explained and pressed two fingers in between her eyes.

“Did you see Henrik?” Chelsea asked with a slightly hopeful tone. Lottie frowned at her and shook her head.

“Sorry, hun. I didn’t see Henrik.” She said apologetically and Chelsea hanged her head sadly.

“Well, what did you see?” Bobby asked, trying to usher her along so they could keep moving.

“I saw.. I saw.. I’m not sure what I saw..” She muttered and looked as if she was thinking about sometimes really hard.

“Wow, that’s great. Let’s keep moving now.” Lucas sighed and started to walk, when Lottie let out a loud gasp, “What now?” He asked annoyedly.

“I saw someone running after us..” Lottie breathed out and started to look around herself paranoid, breathing fast.

“Someone was following us? Who? One of the islanders?” Gary wondered and scratched his beard, trying to look for that someone.

“No.. No..” Lottie whispered and shook her head in disbelief, “Not human…” She breathed out, her eyes wide open. 

“Not a human?” MC repeated in shock and Lottie shook her head again, taking half a step back.

“No.. It was too fast for being a human..” Lottie mumbled and her body started to tremble.

“Was it an animal then?” Bobby questioned, confused. 

“I don’t know, it’s.. I don’t know..” Lottie whispered and her trembling was now evident. Gary put a calming hand on her shoulder.

“You’re probably just shaken up by today’s events and your imagination is running wild.. It’s going to be fine.” Gary said soothingly, but Lottie was still tense and alert.

“Let’s just get a move on. We’re not going to find Henrik by just standing around..” Lucas sighed and everyone but Lottie nodded. They started to move again, Gary holding onto Lottie’s trembling form. Lottie looked like she had just encountered a ghost, her eyes wild, skin pale and mouth slightly ajar.

They had walked for probably just under a hundred meters when they heard a loud noise. The group froze, listening for more noises.

“Henrik? Buddy?” Lucas shouted but got no answer. He sighed glumly, shook his head and the group continued to walk.

Suddenly a large brown mass ran right past them, knocking Lucas down upon the impact. The brown mass let out a scared yelp before disappearing behind the trees. Chelsea screamed loudly and adrenaline filled MC’s body, making her ready to either fight or flee. Suddenly Gary bursted out laughing, helping Lucas up.

“Was that what you saw before, Teetee? That was just a deer! Have you never seen deer before?” Gary laughed. Lucas dusted off his clothes and looked around, somewhat shocked about the run-in. Lottie shook her head slowly.

“I would’ve known if it was a deer.. That’s not what I saw..” She said quietly and began looking around again.

“Guys.. I think we’re asking the wrong questions,” MC sighed and everything turned to look at her, “We shouldn’t concentrate on the deer but on what is was running away from.. It seemed scared.” MC explained her thought process.

“It was probably scared of us, MC. I don’t think there’s more to it.” Bobby said quietly, calming MC’s nerves just a little.

“I wonder who was more scared - me or the deer!” Chelsea laughed, feeling a little more relaxed than before. The others chuckled as well apart from Lottie, who was still paranoid. 

The group began to walk again and everything was going absolutely fine, until they heard a loud snap and a scream. That scream didn’t sound human. They froze, listening closely, until they heard rabid footsteps running closer. Lottie’s eyes widened in realization.

“Run!” She screamed and took off running. She ran faster than MC had ever seen her run. MC’s adrenaline came running back. She took ahold of Bobby’s hand and began sprinting, fleeing from the fast footsteps closing in on them. Everyone else ran, too. Chelsea, Gary and Lottie were screaming bloody murder. Lucas was too shocked to make a sound. MC concentrated on running. Bobby still held her hand, running a little behind.

It was close. Whatever it was. They could hear its loud breathing and booming footsteps. It was faster than them. Then, a loud growl that shook the whole earth, sending shivers down MC’s spine. What on earth was going on?!

“There’s no way we can outrun it! We need to hide!” Lottie yelled and threw herself behind a nearby bush. The others followed her orders, hiding behind large rocks, bushes and trees. MC was about to make a b-line for a nearby tree when her grip on Bobby’s hand came loose. She looked behind her and saw that Bobby had fallen down because of a root sticking out of the ground. They heard another loud growl, closer and closer. MC looked into Bobby’s eyes full of panic and dread. He tried to get up, but fell back down again.

“Bobby!” MC yelled and began to run towards him, not caring about the beast following them, not caring about her own safety.. Until she was pulled by someone behind the tree she was previously eyeing as a good hiding place, “No! Bobby!” She screamed as strong pair of arms pulled her behind a tree and a tan hand appeared in front of her mouth, silencing her screams. 

“Shh.. You need to be quie—“ Lucas, who was pinning MC against the tree whispered into MC’s ear but was silenced when Bobby screamed and the footsteps stopped. Everything fell quiet after that. Birds, wind, Bobby.. Until all Hell broke loose. There was a sound of body being dragged against dirt, sounds of desperate screaming and then something hard hitting against a rock.. MC struggled in Lucas’ grasp and got one last look at Bobby. He was quickly dragged behind the trees by something MC couldn’t figure out. Bobby seemed to be unconscious and his head was bleeding. MC’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Bobby being dragged away, her heart nearly breaking. Her legs gave in and she almost fell to the ground, but Lucas caught her and kept her upright. Lucas’ eyes were glazed over and his mouth was formed into a thin line. The others were peering at the pair from behind their hiding spots, with shocked and sorrowful expressions. Lucas loosened his grip on MC and took his hand off of her mouth.

“No.. No.. This can’t be happening.. Bobby.. We have to go after him! We have to save him!” MC whispered and looked at the others, tears streaming down her face. They all looked at her with melancholic expressions. Gary was clenching his fists. Chelsea was trembling all over. Lottie looked like she was about to faint. MC tried to take a few running steps towards the direction Bobby had been dragged off to, but Lucas stopped her once again, shaking his head.

“Are you crazy? Following that thing is like a death wish! We don’t even know if.. if..” Lucas trailed off, his voice breaking. MC understood what he meant right away. There was so much blood and his body was so limp and OH MY GOD! MC threw up, holding her stomach, crying. She felt Lucas’ hand running along her back as she puked again.

“It can’t be.. Bobby..” She heard Chelsea muttering in disbelief.

“MC. Listen to me,” Lucas spoke up and MC looked at him with puffy eyes and some puke on her clothes, “I’m really sorry about what happened to Bobby. We can’t be sure what happened. But whatever happened, I’m sure that Bobby’s first wish would be that you’re safe and sound. That’s why we gotta keep moving before that thing comes back and takes one of us.” Lucas said calmly even though his eyes were watery. 

“I agree, we have got to keep moving..” Gary sighed and there was a wobble to his sigh. MC looked behind her once more, sawing the bloody trail and shivered. 

“Let’s find a better place to hide..” Lottie stated quietly. Everyone agreed silently, starting to look for a good hiding place. Lucas supported MC the whole way, keeping her trembling frame close. 

MC followed the group in a confused, empty state. Everything felt dark and foggy, nothing had meaning at the moment. Every second felt like it lasted hours. Every second without Bobby, without knowing what happened to him, felt suffocating and depressive. The trees seemed taller and darker. The shadows deeper and scarier. The sunlight paler and cooler. The other members of the group were mere shadows, empty shells with no souls. After walking aimlessly around for what felt like forever, Chelsea stumbled upon something and nearly lost her footing. They looked at the spot and saw a metallic, rusty hidden trap door.

“How convenient.. Shall we investigate?” Lucas suggested and the islanders nodded. Lucas tried the door and surprisingly enough it was open. There was a ladder leading down into darkness. The group exchanged looks. Gary nodded and began to make his way down.

“Oh! It’s like a bunker! I don’t see anything dangerous here… Oh, there’s a light switch?” There was a faint click and some light shined from down below, “It’s safe! Come down, quickly!” Gary yelled. Lottie began to ascend down, followed by Chelsea. Lucas looked at MC worriedly.

“Can you manage?” He asked silently. MC took a deep breath, trying to calm down here trembling limbs.

“I think so..” She whispered and began to go down the ladder. Lucas came after her, closing the trap door. The ascend down seemed to last forever. Finally MC made her way down into a large cement room. It was rather empty, but it looked like someone used to live there years ago. There was one single bed, a chair and a table as well as dirty a cool box. There was also a small bookshelf with some books and old pictures. A single book laid on the table. Other than that, the bunker was empty.

“What is all of this..?” Lottie wondered and walked up to the bookshelf, running a hand through the backs of the books. They smelled old. Chelsea walked up to the cool box.

“We can store our food, snacks and drinks here. MC, give me your..” She spoke as she opened the cool box, glancing in and screaming. Everyone ran to the box, taking a look curiously. There were two dead, decaying rats in there, “Eww! Disgusting!” Chelsea gagged.

“I mean, it’s good protein..” Gary sighed and removed the rats, “Better?” He smiled weakly at Chelsea. Chelsea nodded, still disgusted. Chelsea opened MC’s rucksack and took out most of the snacks and drinks, putting them in the cool box. 

MC just looked on, unable to do anything. She kept hearing Bobby’s screaming in her ears, she could see the bloody trail in front of her eyes and she couldn’t escape them even if she wanted to. She moved backwards, trying to escape those haunting memories. When she met up with the cement wall, her legs cave in and her body slid down the wall. Others turned to look at her with empathetic eyes as MC hid her face behind her hands, sobbing.

Was Bobby really gone? Could have she done something differently? What was she going to do without Bobby in her life? Her crying became louder and louder as she began to reminisce about the good times with Bobby, how they met on Love Island, when Bobby admitted his feelings towards her, when he asked her to be his girlfriend, winning the show, moving in together.. All of those precious memories seemed now so far away, out of reach. Just like Bobby was when he was being dragged away by that thing. Two arms wrapped around her from both of her sides as she sat there, as a crying mess of a human. She heard Chelsea and Lottie whispering something to her from somewhere far away. MC’s world was with Bobby, and Bobby wasn’t here, so she wasn’t either. Not really.

“I think some of us should try and make our way back to the cottage. The others don’t know about the danger awaiting them..” Lucas cleared his throat, snapping MC back to the painful reality. A reality without Bobby.

“That’s too dangerous! You can’t go out there!” Lottie protested with a huff, “They’ll call the police tomorrow and they’ll find us and get us away from here!” 

“They could be attacked, Lottie! We don’t have time to wait around!” Gary explained, grimacing. Lottie opened her mouth to protest, but closed it after seeing the determination on Gary’s face.

“So you girls stay here, investigate the bunker a little. We’ll inform the others and bring them here to safety.” Lucas said and looked at Gary, both nodding at each other. They got their rucksacks and got ready to leave. Lottie and Chelsea stood up, saying their goodbyes to the boys.

“Promise you’ll come back safely, Gaz..” Lottie chirped to Gary as the two of them embraced, “Good luck, Lucas..” She said and hugged him as well.

“Stay safe, both of you!” Chelsea exclaimed, giving them both a quick friendly hug. The boys looked expectantly at MC, who was still sitting on the floor.

“MC, they’re leaving. Say something!” Lottie encouraged her. MC lifted her face up, eyes all red and puffy, eyebrows furrowed. She stood up slowly, her whole body feeling numb and cold. She shivered as her eyes met with Gary’s blue orbs first.

“May you return safe, Gary..” She said, her voice hoarse from crying. Gary smiled at her sadly and nodded. Then MC turned to look at Lucas, glaring at him, “I hope they drag you to the reaches of Hell. It’s your fault that Bobby is gone.” She said icily, her lower lip trembling. Everyone turned to look at her in shock. Lucas looked as if he was shot by her cruel words. Silence took over.

“I’m not angry at you for saying that,” Lucas took in a deep breath, composing himself, “I know you’re still in shock about what happened. So I won’t hold this against you. But I swear to you that I never intended anything bad to happen to Bobby or you or anyone else.” He stated calmly.

“MC, you can’t say that to him!” Chelsea gasped, flabbergasted.

“If he hadn’t trapped me, I would have been able to save Bobby!” MC explained furiously.

“He saved your life, MC! You should be thankful!” Gary groaned, rubbing his temples. 

“I don’t care about living right now! I feel dead without Bobby!” MC screamed on top of her lungs, breaking into desperate crying yet again. Chelsea let out a sob as well. Everyone was shocked and worried for MC. Finally, Lucas just sighed and adjusted his rucksack.

“Let’s just go. Let's give her time to think and calm down. She’s in so much pain and denial right now that it’s impossible to get through to her.” He noted with a sad expression, turning around and starting to climb up the ladder.

Gary casted one last look at the girls, a sad smile on his face. He waved and followed Lucas out of the bunker, closing the trap door behind him.

~*~

[Cottage]  
[Gary, Lucas]

“Are you okay, buddy?” Gary asked Lucas as they exited the bunker, giving a sympathetic look at the black-haired man. Lucas sighed deeply, letting his shoulders slump a little.

“Yes, I’m fine.. Well, I can’t pretend her words didn’t sting me, but I understand where she’s coming from. Emotions are tricky. She’s going through stages on grief and she’s probably even a little traumatized after what she saw. I would be had I seen someone so dear to me being dragged away by something unknown, possibly dead, possibly struggling to stay alive..” Lucas frowned and avoided Gary’s sympathetic gaze. They started to walk towards the summer cottage.

“Yeah man.. I couldn’t imagine if that was Lottie being dragged away like that.. I would’ve gone absolutely crazy..” Gary sighed, grimacing at the thought. Lucas nodded absentmindedly, in deep thought. Gary raised a single eyebrow at him, “Are you thinking about… You know, her..?” He asked silently, coughing awkwardly.

“Hannah? No, why would I? We broke up, and she should be rather save at the cottage..” Lucas smiled nervously, looking at his feet intently. 

“I’m not talking about Hannah, mate. We all know who you’ve got your eyes on..” Gary furrowed his thick eyebrows and cracked half-a-smile to Lucas. Lucas froze for a second, not knowing what to answer.

“Do you think Bobby knew?” He asked quietly, guilt clear in his voice. He didn’t want to be known as someone who shamelessly flirts with some other man’s girl, it’s not like him. But this girl… He couldn’t get her out of his mind even if he tried. He had been thinking about her for almost a year, and he knew he had been unfair to his ex-girlfriend by thinking about her like that. And it was unfair to his good friend - and one of the best people he personally know - who might now lay dead somewhere in a ditch.

“Yeah… You weren’t exactly being subtle about it last night. At least I think he had an idea..” Gary sighed and shook his head, looking off to somewhere with empty eyes, “I can’t believe that he might be gone..”

“Do you think.. She knew?” Lucas asked even more quietly, his cheeks reddening just a little. Gary laughed dryly at his sudden shyness and scratched the back of his neck.

“If by ‘she’ you mean Hannah, I think she knew. She’s very observant. If by ‘she’ you mean MC.. I am not sure. Again, like Bobby, I think she might have had an idea. But when you’re happily in a relationship, you don’t really look elsewhere or catch every little hint thrown your way!” Gary shrugged and kicked a small rock on his way.

“But this is not really the right time to think about relationship drama.. Or what could have beens. Henrik is still missing, Bobby might have died, MC is mentally unstable and we still don’t know who sent her those messages, Ulrike could be a liar.. There’s so much to figure out other than my feelings towards her or her feelings towards me.. And.. Although it hurts me to think about it, I think MC would choose Bobby over me any day.” Lucas exhaled strongly and bit her lip nervously.

“Don’t take it personally, mate. Her connection with Bobby is just so strong. And you just got out of relationship with her friend. I’m not loving your odds, but in different circumstances you could have been a good couple.” Gary tried to cheer Lucas up. 

“Yeah, in another circumstances..” He smiled sadly before shaking his head, “... She would’ve been mine.” he said quietly enough that Gary couldn’t hear him, eyes darkening for just a second. They kept walking in silence, listening for any sounds that could mean danger or threat. Everything seemed as if nothing had ever been wrong. The birds were singing, the wind was blowing, sun was shining through the branches and everything was green and gorgeous. It felt like mockery, really. How could everything be so beautiful when everything was so wrong?

“What should we tell them?” Gary broke the silence, “About what happened. We only have bad news to bring. Yeah, we couldn’t find Henrik. Some kind of unknown creature ran after us and caught Bobby. Bobby could be dead. They won’t exactly be ecstatic about the news we’re bringing.”

“Let’s just say that.. We were attacked. We don’t have to specify by what as we really didn’t know what it was. And we don’t know if Bobby’s dead so we shouldn’t scare them about that before we have confirmation, right? Let’s just tell them that Bobby got hurt.” Lucas stated quietly, trying to keep a clear and cool, level-headed head on his shoulders.

“I guess you’re right.. Let’s not scare them to death before we have an actual reason to..” Gary tried to put on a brave face, failing as he thought about Bobby’s and Henrik’s possible fate. He thought about the girls waiting for them at the bunker, and picked up some speed, “C’moon, let’s walk faster. Lottie, Chelsea and MC will be waiting for us at the bunker. Although it looked like a safe space, you never know..” 

Lucas’ heart jumped to his throat and his stomach flipped as Gary mentioned the possibility that something could happen to the girls at the bunker. He picked up the speed as well, not wanting to think about all of the dangers that the girls could encounter.

It took them around 45 minutes to make their way from that point to the cottage. They breathed a sigh of relief as they approached the familiar cottage. The lake was calm, waves soothing their previous anxiety. The coals from last night’s bonfire was still there, untouched. Then they noticed the sauna door flung open.. Maybe someone had forgotten to close it well and the wind had opened it? That’s why they decided not to investigate it at first, staying focused in their goal. They headed straight for the cottage, a sense of familiarity rushing over them.

They saw the first sign that something was wrong when they entered to the front terrace that you have to walk through when you want to enter the cottage. All of the chairs were thrown around and even the table had fallen down. Lucas and Gary looked at each other, rising a curious eyebrow.

“Guess they have been having fun without us..” Gary laughed nervously, glancing at the chairs and picking one of them up. They walked to the front door through the chair maze, ready to open the front door.

The front door creaked open slowly. They had a strange feeling as soon as they did that. They had imagined to see some of their faces in the window, waiting for their return. Or at the very last that someone would’ve heard them opening the front door. They looked at each other, now suspiciously. 

“Hey guys! We’re back!” Lucas shouted inside. No answer. Not even sounds of footsteps could be heard. They walked inside, taking a look at the living room. It was a mess. The sofas had been turned around. The wooden table had been thrown. Some of the chairs were broken. There weird were marks on the walls, almost as if someone had been hitting them with something sharp.. Gary and Lucas exchanged worried looks, “Go check the bedrooms and bathrooms. I’ll check the kitchen and back terrace.” Gary muttered and Lucas nodded, heading for the bedrooms.

Lucas opened up the first bedroom door. The bedroom seemed to look the same as before. Nothing seemed disturbed. He breathed a sigh of relief. He went to the other bedroom - it wasn’t as lucky. The contents of luggages were emptied to the floor and the curtains were hanging half-way off as if someone had tried to rip it off but failed.. But that still didn’t explain where everyone had disappeared off to. Lucas tried to call out the islanders’ names, but no answers. 

He decided to check the bathrooms. The first one wouldn’t budge. Strange. He tried to will it open, failing. He called out some names again, but the door didn’t open. He shrugged and decided to check the other bathroom. The floor opened just fine, but what met him on the inside made his stomach turn. A recent splodge of blood was on the wall opposite him, staring back at him, red and threatening. Ignoring his nausea, Lucas entered the bathroom. There was no blood anywhere else. Lucas kneeled down next to the blood, carefully examining it. It can’t be much more than an hour old. Lucas kind of wish he knew whose blood it was, but at the same time the thought of knowing it pained him.

Lucas met up with Gary in the living room, “Saw anything?” Lucas questioned, his voice silent and breathy. Gary shook his head.

“Everything was just messy. I didn’t find anyone or any signs of what happened to them..” Gary sighed deeply, “What about you?” he asked with a worried expression. Lucas took in a sharp breath of air, preparing himself mentally.

“The bedrooms were okay.. The other one was messy, but the other one was untouched. One of the bathroom doors didn’t budge, but the other one… Oh God, there was a fresh blood stain on the wall!” Lucas cried out. Gary’s eyes widened in shock and he walked past Lucas to see it for himself. He walked in to the bathroom, gasping loudly at the sight. Lucas joined him, running a soothing hand along his back as Gary looked sick. 

“Should we try and will open the other bathroom door? I couldn’t do it alone, but together we could succeed” Lucas asked after a moment of silence. Gary took in a deep breath, composing himself as best as he could.

“I think we should.” Gary agreed and they exited the bathroom. They readied themselves, taking a deep breath before throwing themselves to the door with full force. They first saw the mirror. There was something written with red on it. They looked at each other, scared, thinking it was blood. With closer inspection, they noticed that it wasn’t blood. It was red lipstick. The message was short and sweet.

‘Boat -M’

They also noticed that the small window on top of the toilet was open. Gary and Lucas peered at the window. It was too small for some of the islanders, such as Jakub to get out of. But some of the girls could’ve probably fit with ease. Did ‘-M’ stand for Marisol? Marisol certainly was one of the smarter ones. Leave it up to her to leave behind clues and messaged when no one else though about that. That little message ignited some hope within the men. Maybe at least one or few of them got away? 

“Let’s go check the beach!” Lucas quickly said and the boys ran out of the cottage, still shouting for some of their names. They made their way to the beach, looking around wildly.

“Didn’t there use to be a small boat over there? It’s gone!” Gary yelled and pointed at the the point past the dock. That was true. There used to be a boat and no there was no boat. Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe some of the islanders made it out and were on their way to look for help, “How many do you think would fit on that boat?” Gary asked and Lucas looked thoughtful.

“Six at maximum, I’d guess. And even that’s testing the boat’s limits.” Lucas sighed. There was no way everyone could have made their escape with the boat. But in the end, six is better than none. Maybe the others found another way out. The two men looked at the yard again. The car windows were smashed. There were those strange marking on the cottage walls. There were little things here and there off, that they hadn’t noticed before.

“We’d better go back. I think this place is completely abandoned. We need to return to the girls, make sure they’re safe and tell them what we saw.” Gary sighed heavily. They glanced at the cottage for one last time, calling out for their friends as a last ditch effort.

No one answered. No one appeared from their possible hiding place. A cottage that was full of life and sounds just mere hours ago was now cold and empty, only a ghost of what it used to be. Gary and Lucas shrugged, deciding to start to make their way back after grabbing some essentials left behind in the cottage, such as more food, clothes and the shotgun. They even found some bullets, although not many. Gary loaded the shotgun as they started to make their way back, ready to shoot anything approaching them.

~*~ 

[Underground bunker]  
[Lottie, Chelsea]

As soon as Lucas and Gary had left, MC hang her head again while sitting down, hiding her face and crying. Lottie and Chelsea looked at her friend, both sad and shocked. Chelsea sat down next to MC, embracing her into a tight hug. Lottie looked at the pair, trying to remain strong and level-headed. She knew for sure that MC couldn’t be the voice of reason right now and that Chelsea was such an emotional sponge, meaning that she would absorb all of MC’s intense emotions and soon become a crying mess as well.

“MC.. Oh, I don’t have any words that would be effective enough to ease your pain..” Chelsea sighed, holding her friend close. Lottie frowned, she hated seeing her friends crying and upset, but she didn’t know how to help MC out in this situation, so she decided to do what the boys had advised them to do - investing the bunker. She was a natural sleuth, always up to finding out dark secrets and surprising connections. She decided to start with the book on the table, sitting down on the creaky wooden chair. She flipped through the pages. It turned out to be a diary from the 70s. Interesting..

Meanwhile Lottie was investigating, MC tried to get ahold of herself. She had been crying so much that she had gotten a headache and she almost couldn't breath. Chelsea was still hugging her tightly, MC was leaning against her with all of her body weight. MC sighed deeply and tried to forget those screams and visions in vain. 

“Chelsea,” MC called out weakly, holding onto her friend, “How do I live in a world without Bobby?” She questioned, her voice hollow and monotone. She lifted her eyes to meet Chelsea’s. They were glazed, missing their usual gleam and emotion.

“Oh, babes.. But we’re not sure yet if he’s gone. Maybe he survived!” Chelsea reminded her, trying to make that gleam return to her eyes. But she only kept staring back at the void. Void of emotions, void of hope, void of the essence of MC.

“But there was blood everywhere.. And that thing dragged him like he was a rag doll.. He was all limp and.. Lifeless..” MC spoke silently, replaying the horrible memory in her head over and over.

“But we still don’t know! He could’ve just been unconscious!” Chelsea protested, keeping her spirits high.

“Even if he was, he’s probably dead by now.. Why would that monster thing keep him alive? That thing probably ate Bobby for lunch.. My Bobby.. My beautiful, wonderful, loving Bobby..” MC felt tears pricking her eyes again and swallowed hard.

“I’m sure that if he were here he would tell you to wipe away those tears, stand up and smile like you always used to!” Chelsea smiled at her friend.

“It’s a little difficult to smile when the love of your life is possibly dead, Chels!” MC huffed angrily before understanding what she had said, clasping her hand in front of my mouth, “Oh my gosh I’m sorry Chelsea! I didn’t mean.. I didn’t think.. I mean, with Henrik.. You’re probably worried to death about her and I’m acting over here like I’m the only one with problems! Please forgive me..” MC sighed and apologized many times. Chelsea smiled at her, nodding.

“Of course I’m worried, but I understand that you’re going through a lot now,” She smiled warmly and didn’t seem to mind MC’s previous rant, “MC, do.. Do you think that Henrik met the same creature and like.. Has he been captured too?” Chelsea asked silently.

“I don’t know, Chelsea.. It’s certainly a possibility as we didn’t see him when we were looking for him and that thing was certainly fast, but there’s no way for us to really know.. Let’s hope he’s okay. Maybe we can find those neighbors and ask them if they have seen him..” MC explained and gave Chelsea a hug. Chelsea hug her back, shivering a little.

“Let’s hope together that our men are alright!” She laughed before frowning in deep thought, “It’s so weird how everything can change in the blink of an eye, huh? Last night were singing Dancing Queen with Priya and dancing the night away, thinking about marriages and love.. And now we’re here and we are not even sure if our boyfriends are alive!” Her laughter turned into a sob in the end. MC held her tight, her own eyes glistening.

“At least we have each other.. Bras forever.” MC tried to calm Chelsea down, succeeding a little. 

“Hey guys, get over here! This is all too interesting!” Lottie suddenly called out and the two other girls turned to look at her, surprised. They got to their wobbling feet and walked to Lottie, who was still reading the diary.

“Did you find something about that creature?” MC asked, peering over Lottie’s shoulder curiously. 

“No, I don’t think so, but.. This is still hella intriguing!” Lottie promised with a weak smile. 

“Soo.. Are we supposed to read the whole book or are you going to give us a brief explanation?” Chelsea asked and Lottie coughed awkwardly before telling the story.

“So, this is the diary of a 19-year-old girl from the year 1974. At first this is all normal - school, work, boys, parties.. But then she reveals that she’s pregnant! And she didn’t know what to do! Then there’s no entries for months and months.. Until she declares that she gave birth to a baby boy! She also tells that she ran away from home when she went to labor and gave birth here in this bunker, all alone! Apparently she was too ashamed to tell her parents about the whole pregnancy..” Lottie spoke, frowning.

“So some lady gave birth on that bed like many years ago? I don’t want to sleep in there!” Chelsea whined and gagged.

“Uh yeah.. And that’s when a tragedy strikes! The baby is really fuzzy and loud and no matter what our girl does, he will not stop crying. Eventually she snaps and blocks the baby’s mouth with her hand until he went quiet.. But in her moment of desperation she accidentally blocked his nose as well and the baby, well, didn’t make it. She tried CPR and all but he never woke up. So not only did she have a kid out of wedlock but now she also killed her baby! She was so afraid about admitting everything and decides to bury the baby in the forest..” Lottie continues. Chelsea sniffs at the sad ending.

“Does anything else happen?” MC questioned and Lottie nodded, resuming her story.

“Then she goes back home and tries to live normally but is haunted by the memory of her dead child. She sees nightmares, has visions, panic attacks and becomes gradually more and more mentally unstable. She writes about how the baby will have his revenge, will haunt her till she dies and will become this thing.. She didn’t know the word in English so she just used this English word.. ‘ _Myling_ ’, whatever that means..” Lottie was interrupted by MC.

“Wait, so this whole diary was in English? But we’re in Sweden! Shouldn’t it be in Swedish?!” MC asked, confused and taken aback.

“Well, I wouldn’t have been able to read it if it wasn't in English. She actually wrote about it in the beginning.. She apparently decided ultimately to write it in English so her parents wouldn’t be able to understand it even if they found the diary..” Lottie cleared the situation, “And well yeah, apparently she runs back here and and does some research on Norse mythology before her entries just.. Stop without warning..” Lottie gulped and everyone falls silent, imagining whatever happened to this girl.

“Now we have even more mysteries in our hands.. Who was this girl, what happened to her and what in the world is _Myling_..” MC sighs and looks at the diary, vividly imagining this woman’s misery with the secret pregnancy, giving birth all alone in an underground bunker, accidentally smothering her own baby to death and becoming mentally unstable in the aftermath.. 

The girls started to go through the bookcase, but they were all in Swedish so they couldn’t understand them. They seemed to be about mythology, monsters and Vikings. At least the themes seemed to align with the diary entries. There were pictures of a happy family. Mother, father, two boys and a girl, all smiling to the camera. Pictures of a group of girls, wearing some outfits appropriate for the early 70s nightlife.

The girls tensed up when they began to hear noises from above. They listened carefully, trying to figure out whether is was just Lucas and Gary returning or someone that wanted to hurt them.. MC tiptoed to her rucksack and opened it quietly, taking out the kitchen knife in self-defense. Lottie eyed the knife and MC suspiciously.

“Where did you get that from?” She whispered and MC slipped her a mysterious smirk. Chelsea gasped.

“I saw the knife when I took out the food from your rucksack but I didn’t think you took it with you to stab someone!” Chelsea chuckled. MC looked at the shiny knife, trying to remember why she had packed it.

“I don’t really know what went through my head when I picked it up, to be honest. But it might be needed now, so everything seemed to work out in the end..” MC explained and Lottie nodded in understanding.

“Maybe you have some psychic gifts like me!” She smirked and was about to add something when they heard someone or something opening the trap door. The girls tensed up again, ready to attack whoever came in. Lottie picked up the wooden chair in case MC’s knife wouldn’t do the trick.

“I wonder if monsters can climb down ladders..” Chelsea whispered, unarmed and slowly walking to the back of the room, behind MC and Lottie. Then they heard someone or something ascending the ladder down. They listened, breathing as quietly as possible. MC steadied her arm, waiting to lunge forward if needed.

Down came a blonde man carrying a shotgun on his back. MC saw the gun and took a step forward, but Lottie reacted first.

“It’s Gary! Oh, you came back safe!” Lottie smiled, putting down the chair and ran next to Gary, hugging him tightly, “Are you hurt? Any injuries?” She asked worriedly, checking Gary out for any visible injuries.

“No, Teetee. I’m fine. We’re fine. Now let’s move out of the way so Lucas can come down..” Gary chuckled and moved away from the ladder and Lucas came down as well. Lucas looked at the group, smiling.

“I’m glad you girls are safe. This bunker seems like a safe place to station for now..” Lucas breathed out in relief. When Lucas’ and MC’s eyes met, MC quickly looked away in embarrassment and guilt. She began to feel bad about accusing Lucas about what happened with Bobby. Lucas tensed up a little seeing her reaction, his smile faltering.

“You didn’t bring anyone else with you?” Chelsea asked, disappointment evident in her voice. Gary shook his head sadly.

“That’s the worst part. We went back to the cottage only to find in abandoned. It was a mess. Chairs and tables were thrown, luggages emptied, there were weird markings on the walls, a blood stain in one of the bathrooms..” Gary explained sorrowfully.

“Wait, hold up! Markings? Blood?” MC gasped and couldn’t hide her shock.

“Yeah, it looked like the walls were hit by a sharp object.. And there was a singular rather large blood splatter on the bathroom wall..” Gary sighed crest-fallen.

“But we found something promising too. The other bathroom door was jammed so we had to force it open. It revealed a message on the mirror written with red,” The girls gasped and frowned, “.. lipstick,” the girls sighed in relief, “It said ‘Boat -M’. And the small window above the toilet was wide open. So we’re guessing that at least one, possibly more of the islanders got to escape.” Lucas explained and the girls relaxed a little, knowing that at least some of their friends might be safe.

“M as in Marisol?” Lottie questioned, lifting her eyebrows. Garry nodded.

“That is what we thought. Letter M combined with her go-to lipstick.. And she’s quite resourceful, isn’t she? Plus she could totally fit through that window!” Gary smiled at Lottie.

“This is way worse than we could have ever imagined..” MC sighed and rubbed her temples, trying to make sense of all of this.

“Did you girls find anything interesting here?” Lucas asked and Lottie’s face brightened up.

“Yeah! Come, I’ll show you this diary..” She took Gary by his hand and dragged him towards the table. Chelsea followed them. Lucas was about to join them, but MC stopped him by grabbing him by his shirt sleeve. Lucas turned to look at MC, surprised.

“Look, can we talk?” MC asked quietly, avoiding eye contact. Lucas just nodded and they walked to the furthest corner from the other three. It wasn’t much privacy, but it was better than nothing. MC took a deep breath before speaking, “I’m terribly sorry about lashing out at you earlier. I shouldn’t have blamed you for what happened. It wasn’t your fault that Bobby…” MC trailed off for a moment, not being able to finish that thought, “But my point is.. I was really unfair to you. I was just so emotional and in complete shock.. I understand if you can’t forgive me but I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry and I’m not holding any grudges against you..” MC finished and inhaled a deep, shaking breath. Lucas smiled feebly at her.

“You’re forgiven. I knew it wasn’t really you talking, but your emotions and grief. It did hurt me, but I also rationally knew that that was a normal reaction to a loss.. People always want to find someone to blame. It’s only natural.” Lucas spoke calmly. He wanted to reach out to MC and lift her head up, look into her eyes so badly, assure her that everything was going to be alright.. But she wasn’t his. She was hurt and grieving. It was better for him and her that Lucas would keep his distance. Lucas saw a small smile creep on MC’s face.

“I guess you’re right.. Thank you for being so understanding.. I’ve really been looking for someone to blame.. You for dragging me behind the tree.. Bobby for insisting to come with me.. Me for agreeing to come.. Chelsea for asking me to come.. Henrik for asking us to come to the cottage at the first place.. But then I realized that none of us are guilty. None of us could have prevented or foreseen this happening. I don’t have anyone to blame and it’s alright. Not everything is about finding logical solutions and fighting fire with fire.” MC explained her thought process and shook her head.

“Yeah.. This whole thing was completely unpredictable and out of our reach..” Lucas agreed. MC finally lifted her head up and looked at Lucas with those beautiful eyes of hers. Lucas couldn’t help but stare at those eyes tenderly. That small glimmer of hope and life had finally returned to them.

“Yeah. But now we have a lot of mysteries to solve and maybe friends to save, so we can’t lose time by discussing our feelings all day. Join the others now and listen to Lottie’s findings!” MC smiled determinedly. Lucas couldn’t help but admire her at that moment. So strong even though she was still clearly hurting. Lucas nodded and without saying anything else, walking up to the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the true horror part has finally started. The ten first chapters had obviously some tension and scary elements in them, but now they're finally starting to develop into more serious story branches. Comments and kudos are always appreciated and welcomed, so is constructive criticism and wishes for how the story should progress. Some elements are obviously decided beforehand and are difficult to change, but some aspects are still mutable.


	12. If You Want to Get Out Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened after MC, Bobby, Lucas, Lottie, Gary and Chelsea left the cottage? Find out in this chapter with no MC!

[What happened at the same time as group MBLLGC was away? Part 1]  
[Hope, Noah, Marisol, Rocco & Elisa]

The rest of the islanders fell silent after MC, Bobby Lucas, Lottie, Gary and Chelsea left. They listened on the steady sound of the clock, warily looking at each other. The atmosphere was tense and worried, even electric.

“So.. They left. What are we going to do when they’re away?” Marisol asked and looked at the rest of the group. No one seemed exactly thrilled to speak up, eyeing the floor awkwardly instead.

“I just really hope they find Herik and they come back safe.. I’m especially worried for MC as she just received those creepy messages again..” Hope sighed with heavy heart and bit the inside of her cheek absentmindedly. 

“I’m worried for Bobby and Chelsea. They’re not the strongest or smartest people.. They’re these big goofy sweethearts that mean well, but if they need to fight or flee something, they are in trouble. They’re both quite clumsy as well, especially Bobby!” Priya exclaimed and furrowed her brows in worry.

“Why would they need to fight or flee something?” Rocco questioned, scratching his beard in thought, “Are you saying the stalker will find them and hunt them down, or..?”

“I mean, it’s a possibility. That stalker has been close enough to take pictures and follow us around.. Maybe they were waiting for us to split up?” Elisa noted worriedly and played with her long brown hair. 

“Or then maybe a wild animal could attack them. Like a bear or a wolf..” Noah suggested and the comment hung in the air for a while. 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t go to that.. Let’s stay hopeful. Let’s imagine how everything will be solved when they return with Henrik and we’ll get to the bottoms of the existing mysteries. Maybe we can leave right away when the wheels are working and go to some Swedish city for the rest of the week.. We’ll to go a spa, shopping and book some nice, private hotel rooms..” Hannah tried to cheer the group and the atmosphere lightened up just a little.

“That would be amazing after all of this drama..” Hope sighed dreamily and thought about the time they could have once they’re out of there.

“I was so excited about spending time in the nature before, but now I just want to leave and go back to my city life..” Marisol shook her head sorrowfully and closed her eyes, taking in a long breath.

“We all loved the idea.. And this could’ve been a very relaxing trip without all of this drama.” Elisa admitted and touched Marisol’s shoulder lightly. Marisol opened her eyes and smiled at Elisa warmly.

“It’s almost like Lottie said at the group chat.. This sounds like the beginning of a horror novel!” Hannah laughed and looked down at her hands, smiling sadly, “Not a romance novel or a fairy tale, like how I wanted.. But I kinda knew that it wasn’t going to be one even back then, So I have no one to blame for wishful thinking like that but me.”

“I still stand by my idea that this is more like a crazy fanfiction.. Have you read some of the fanfictions they have written about us? Some of them are actually rather good.. I once went through Love Island subreddit and saw people saying that my hands look like chicken hands..” Marisol frowned and looked at her hands and agile fingers, showing them to everyone else, “They weren’t right about that..? Right?” She sighed.

“Your hands are good the way they are..” Rocco reassured Marisol, who gave him a small, relieved smile. Rocco then took out his ukulele and phone, “Hey, let’s sing something happy to lighten up the mood! Just give me one song!” He beamed at the group. Everyone went silent, thinking about a possible song.

“You know what Chelsea would say right away..” Priya laughed dryly and looked at the group.

“Dancing Queen!” They all said in unison, laughing together after they realized it. 

“No more ABBA, please.. I know have this weird feeling that something is going to go wrong every time we listen or sing ABBA songs here..” Hannah frowned and fidgeted her hands awkwardly. 

“Sure. Let’s sing.. “ Rocco began but was interrupted by a knock on the door. They all tensed up, looking at the door warily. Someone knocked again.

“Maybe they came back already? Or maybe Henrik came back on his own?” Jakub whispered and eyed the door, still suspicious.

“Why are they not saying anything?” Priya whispered back and stood up, the rest following her lead. Another set of knocks were heard, this time more demanding

“Maybe they’re in trouble?” Elisa muttered and the islanders exchanged unsettled looks.

“We better open the door soon if that’s the case,” Jakub said and walked towards the door. He was the biggest and strongest out of everyone, “Or maybe it’s Ulrike..” He licked his lips as he put his hand on the doorknob. The girls looked at each other, remembering that Jakub and Rocco were still unaware of Ulrike’s lies.

Marisol took a quick look out of the window, not seeing anyone on the front terrace. Instead she saw something moving quickly in the yard with an object that was glinting in the direct sunlight, “Jakub, don’t open the door!” She yelled but Jakub has already cracked the door open.

“Huh?” Jakub asked, rising a singular eyebrow and turning towards Marisol, confused.

“Close it! Close it!” Marisol screamed and that’s then the door shot open with inhumane force, knocking Jakub down in the process. An ugly, large creature forced its way to the cottage, growling and screaming. It was greenish, it was bald and its eyes were grey, foggy and large. The creature picked up Jakub that was knocked out and threw him out of the door before stepping fully in. Two other creatures, little smaller but faster, walked in. They looked the same as to the bigger creature, just as ugly and odd-looking. One of them had an axe, swinging it around while trying to catch Ibrahim.

“Run! Get of whichever way you can!” Noah shouted and the islanders began running around, screaming. Some of them tried to throw chairs at the creatures, but they didn’t seem too affected by it. Hannah and Priya hid under the sofas. That’s when Marisol got an idea.

“Bathrooms! There are windows Run!” Marisol shouted and made her way to the bathrooms. Hope, Elisa, Noah and Rocco followed her. They ran to the bathroom, locking the door behind them. Noah climbed up on the toilet, forcing the little window open.

“Are we all going to fit?” He asked and eyed the small window doubtfully, then looking at himself, frowning.

“We either fit or die!” Elisa hissed and climbed next to Noah, climbing out of the small window first, “It’s not that bad!” She yelled behind her. Marisol understood something again.

“The boat! Run to the boat and get it into the water! We’ll sail to the other side and get help!” Marisol shouted. Elisa nodded and started running. Hope climbed out next, followed by Rocco. Marisol noticed her lipstick on the counter and wrote a short message on the mirror in case someone returns to see the empty cottage. 

“Are you coming or not?” Noah asked as he climbed out of the window. It was a struggle but miraculously he managed to squeeze himself out.

“Obviously! Help me out a little, will you?” Marisol huffed and climbed on the toilet, jumping up to reach the window. Noah grabbed her hand in time and pulled her out of the window as well. At the same time they heard loud bangs, footsteps and Priya screaming. 

“Fuck! Let’s go!” Noah shouted and they started to run as fast as they could to the boat. They didn’t have time to worry about the rest of the islanders. The boat was already in the water, others waiting for them. Noah and Marisol jumped in and they began to row in a hurry, getting farther and farther away from the shore, occasionally glancing back.

They saw the monsters walking out of the cottage, each of them carrying a limp body. They were too far away to be 100% sure which islanders they had caught, but they could see that one of them were bleeding by their head..

“What the fuck…” Hope grimaced, holding her stomach as if she was about to throw up.

“What were those things?” Rocco asked and was panting hard, body tensed up.

“How can we help our friends..? We need to warn MC, Bobby, Lucas, Lottie, Gary, Chelsea and Henrik as well! They don’t know that a danger like that looms in the forest..” Elisa whispered and her eyes were teary.

“We need to get to the other side. Find people. Call the emergency number. Get out of this area.” Marisol explained sternly, “We can’t go after them pretending to be some kind of superheroes. We’ll be killed.” she sighed sadly. 

“I guess you’re right.. Let’s just concentrate on rowing.” Noah said quietly and everyone nodded, focusing completely on rowing and moving the boat.

They kept rowing for a while until they finally saw the other shore. Determination filled them as they rowed with newfound strength, focused on getting to the other shore as soon as possible. 

“Wait.. What’s that?” Rocco asked and pointed in the water. A large dark shadow circled their boat. Everyone stopped rowing, looking at the shadow.

“Maybe it’s a big fish?” Elisa suggested. They were about to start rowing again, when the boat started to rock hard. Something had grabbed it and now was trying to tip it.

“This is just way too crazy to be actually happening!” Hope screamed, her eyes widened and mouth hanging open. Noah held tightly on her until the rocking ended as soon as it had begun. They islanders were frozen in place, trying to look for the large shadow. It was nowhere to be seen. Everything was calm again.

After waiting around for a minute or so, they began to row again, carefully, looking out on the lake. Everything was going fine, everything was calm and serene. Slowly they began to relax and took deep breaths of relief.

“Hey.. Why is some water seeping in..?” Elisa questioned and everyone looked down. Some water was seeping into the boat. As they were looking for the leakage, they felt something poking the boat from below, “Omg, omg, omg!” Elisa screamed and shook her head in disbelief. The poking became stronger, more like hitting aggressively against the boat’s bottom.

“What are we going to do?!” Rocco shouted and more holes appeared to the boat’s bottom. It started to sink and the wood was giving more and more in to the knocking.

“We need to jump out. Just trust me on this one!” Marisol shouted. Everyone eyed her warily. Wouldn’t jumping out be worse? That shadow could certainly catch them that way. Marisol was the first one to jump out. The others looked after her, shrugging and jumped out. Not even a second later, the boat just kind of blew up. Small pieces of wood flew high in the air and landed in the water with loud splashes, “Now, grab a plank of wood to stabilize yourselves and SWIM!” Marisol shouted and no one questioned her authority anymore.

“There’s some kind of island! We need to get out of the water!” Hope noticed and pointed at the island. They could barely see it, but it was the closest splodge of land to them. The group started to swim, still wearing their clothes. 

“Ahh!” Elisa screamed as she felt something tucking on her ankle, “That thing has got me! Fuck!” Elisa screamed and began to thrash around, trying to get rid of whatever was was tucking on her leg. As a response, the tucking became more forceful.

“Shit, shit, shit..” Marisol hissed and swam to Elisa, taking her by the hand, “Someone else help us for God’s sake!” She shouted. Everyone went into a line behind Marisol and began to pull as hard as they could. 

“It’s working! Keep going!” Elisa shouted as she felt the grip on her ankle loosening. The group groaned and moaned as they tried their best to pry Elisa away from the sea creature’s grasp. After a while they all fell backwards underwater as Elisa was freed, making their way back towards the island with renown fear and panic. 

They eventually made it to the shore, panting. The island they had stranded on wasn’t big, but it was better than nothing. It consisted mostly of a thick and dark forest.

“How far away do you think the other shore is?” Hope asked, trying to dry her wet clothes and hair by squeezing it. 

“Not close enough for us to be able to swim there.. Especially with that thing down there..” Noah groaned and ran his hand through his wet dark hair. 

“We need to make some kind of a raft..” Marisol announced and the rest of her looked at her with frowny expressions.

“How? I mean, there are plenty of trees here but we have nothing to cut them down with..” Rocco sighed.

“I think our best bet is to go and explore that forest. We need to find a safe place to stay during the night, we need to find food and material for the raft. Rather sooner than later.” Marisol listed, looking at the others sternly. 

“Where are we going to get drinking water from?” Noah questioned and everyone fell silent for a moment. Eventually Marisol shrugged.

“We need to figure that out, too.. Maybe we can boil some lake water.. I don’t know..” She sighed and turned to look at the forest next to them, “Let’s get exploring. We need to absolutely stay together.” she noted and started to walk towards the forest.

“Hold on!” Elisa suddenly yelled and everyone stopped and turned to look at her. She was pointing at her ankle, that was covered in red marks, “Look.. Isn’t this similar to the marks that MC had?” she asked and the rest of the group nodded nervously.

“So, it’s the same creature.. It actually happened..” Rocco gasped and blinked rapidly as if he was unable to believe his eyes. 

“Didn’t Henrik call them _näcken?_ ” Elisa asked and some of the group nodded in agreement.

“But they’re not real.. They’re mythological..” Marisol sighed, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Marisol. Think clearly. What were those creatures that barged in to the cottage? They clearly weren’t human. Does anything seem too far-fetched to be real anymore?” Hope sighed and rubbed her temples, trying to process all of this.

“Soon you’re gonna say that one of us is reptilian or something..” Marisol sighed and shook her head, “But I guess you’re right.. Something is off with all of this.” She finally agreed and smiled dryly. 

“I agree.. But we better get explore the forest now. We don’t have any time to waste. We need to go and get help..” Noah reminded the group and they finally made their way to the forest. 

~*~ 

[What happened at the same time as group MBLLGC was away? Part 2]  
[Hannah, Jakub, Priya]

Priya and Hannah quickly hid under the sofas as the chaos started to break in. They heard Marisol shouting something about the bathrooms and saw multiple pairs of feet running off to somewhere, but they were too afraid to move. One of the ogres was chasing Ibrahim and Jo around, swinging an axe everywhere. Two of the others were looking for other islanders. Hannah’s heart was beating so fast when she tried to keep quiet under the sofa.

Hannah saw Jo and Ibrahim running out of the back terrace door. The ogre with an axe followed them outside to the forest, screaming and growling like a wild animal. She wasn’t sure what to do. She could try and make it to the bathrooms even though she wasn’t exactly sure what Marisol had in mind. Or then she could try and make her way out of the back door as Jo and Ibrahim had done, possibly having a run in with the ogre with an axe there and with no clear direction where to go. 

Her thought process was cut short when the large ogre lifted the sofa where Priya was hiding. Priya screamed, trying to scramble to her feet and run, but the ogre was faster. It picked Priya up effortlessly and slammed her against the floor once. Her body went limp. Hannah held in a gasp, tears pricking her eyes. Priya wasn’t bleeding, but either unconscious or even worse.. The large ogre left Priya’s limp body on the floor and started to make its way to the next sofa. Hannah realized that she couldn’t stay under the third sofa or she would endure the same fate as Priya. 

So although she was trembling, she got up from under the sofa when the large ogre was distracted by picking up the other sofa and made her way to the bathrooms. As she was running, she understood what Marisol had thought about - the small windows above the toilet! She ran to the bathroom, forgetting to lock the door behind her. She climbed on top of the toilet, trying to reach the small window. 

“Why am I so short…?” she mumbled and jumped up, finally reaching the handle, trying to forcefully open the window. That’s when she heard loud footsteps coming closer and closer, “Fuck.. Open, open, please..!” she mumbled and bit her lip, trying to will the window open. It didn’t budge.

Hannah felt a warm breath on the nape of her neck, slowly turning around. She met up with the ugly face of one of the ogers, looking straight back at her. Hannah pressed herself against the cold bathroom wall, trembling in fear, frozen in place. She saw a small gap between the ogre and the door, wondering if she could fit.. She made her move only to be smashed face first to the tile wall by the ogre, leaving behind a bloody splodge. The ogre picked up Hannah’s limp body, carrying it next to Jakub’s and Priya’s bodies. The axe-wielding ogre returned to the cottage empty-handed, shrugging. They decided to take what they could get, each picking up a limp body and carrying it to the forest.

~*~

[???]  
[???]

“Ugh.. Where am I..?” a voice questioned, writhing in pain and agony, “It’s dark.. So dark.. Can’t move.. Hurts..” it continued to whine and tried to move. Moving caused it to hiss, forcing it to stay in place. Obviously it wasn’t only a voice or an it, but a human being. A human being so badly scraped up that even the slightest movement caused pain. Not only was pain constricting the human’s movements, but it was also tied up by some leather bands to the stone wall behind it, “I need to.. Get out..” That human being mumbled, trying to adjust to the darkness surrounding it everywhere. 

Suddenly some sunlight flew into the dark place. It was just enough for the human to see where they were. They were in a semi-underground type of rectangular room made of stone. There was only one little hole in the wall, letting some sunlight streaming in occasionally. There was an old, rather clumsily made wooden door, blocking the way out. It looked like a cell of some sort.. But it was difficult to tell. That would fit to the idea that this poor human was being tied up against a wall.

“How am I still alive..?” The human breathed out deep, wondering whether it was better to be dead or alive at this point. The memories of what had happened earlier started to come back to him, “I was.. At the forest.. And we heard the footsteps.. We ran.. But it was fast.. Someone shouted that we should hide.. But I didn’t..” The human mumbled out loud as if trying to make even themselves believe that if had actually happened, “I fell.. I tried to get up but couldn’t.. The last thing I saw was.. Her.. She looked heartbroken.. And scared..” The human spoke out quietly, realization drawing back to them, “MC.. I need to get back to her! I need to make sure she’s safe! Oh God, they can do whatever they want with me but I need to know that she’s safe!” Bobby started to scream and thrash around even though his body was telling him not to move. Tears started to form in his amber eyes, both from pain and from the memory of his beloved looking at him for the final time. 

“You fuckers! Let me out!” Bobby shouted and screamed, adrenaline filling his body, taking away the pain for a moment. A silent rip could be heard as the weak leather bands started to give in. After thrashing around aimlessly for a little while longer, the bands finally gave in fully, freeing Bobby’s tied up arms. Bobby fell to his knees, hissing in pain. His clothes were ripped and his skin was all bloody and scraped from being dragged around. His head felt like exploding and he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. Thump. Thump thump. Thump. 

“Shut up!” Bobby yelled at his own heartbeat, adrenaline starting to wear off as he tried to get up. It was more difficult than it seemed. His right ankle was not fine, that’s for sure. He still managed to get up eventually, holding onto the stone walls. Bobby took careful steps. They hurt like Hell, making him regret of ever waking up. Then he remembered her again. Lucas pulling him behind that tree. A small glimmer of hope burned in Bobby’s chest. There was a chance that MC was alright. He mentally thanked Lucas in his head and a big burden was lifted off of his shoulder. 

But if MC was okay, then he had to find his way to her. She was probably worried sick about him. He didn’t want to worry his beloved like that. He had to get out of there. Preferably sooner than later. So, although his body was aching and tired, he took a step forward towards the wooden door. Every step was painful and the thumping in his head became louder and louder with every movement, but he ignored it all by thinking about the reunion between him and MC. By imagining the smile on her face as she saw him for the first time. By wondering whether then he would finally have the courage to.. 

“Psst!” A silent sound interrupted Bobby’s romantic thoughts and he came back to the painful reality, where his whole body was about to give in at any given moment. Bobby looked around, but didn’t see anything, Psst! Bobby!” He heard the same voice calling for him, “Over here at the window!” The voice added and Bobby turned to look at the window trying to adjust to the light streaming into the room from it. 

Soon enough he recognized that face. It was Ibrahim. Bobby smiled at him weakly, trying to wave but found it too painful. Ibrahim frowned at Bobby worriedly.

“You look bad, man.. What happened to you?” He asked quietly. Bobby grinned at his friend, so relieved to see him alive and well..

“We were attacked and I was dragged away here by something.. I need to get back to MC.. And Chelsea, Lottie, Gary and Lucas! Have you seen them?” Bobby explained his situation quickly and couldn’t bare to move towards the window even though he wanted to.

“Nope.. We were attacked at the cottage. I don’t know what happened to the others. Jo and I managed to escape. She’s on lookout right now so we won’t be surprised.” Ibrahim told quickly, causing Bobby’s eyes to widen in shock.

“You were attacked too? Oh my God, I need to get out of here..” Bobby whined and Ibrahim nodded at him.

“I’ll get you out of there, buddy. Just you wait..” Ibrahim promised and stood up, looking around for any way to get in to the cell.

“Here’s a wooden door. I don’t think I can manage to open it myself in this state, but maybe Jo and you can barge in..” Bobby explained loudly enough for Ibrahim to hear. Ibrahim looked back at Bobby through the window, nodded and turned to say something to Jo. They walked off, presumably to look find the door, leaving Bobby alone once again.

“MC.. I’m coming..” He whispered silently and clenched his fists. He was afraid that he was going to be too much of a burden to Ibrahim and Jo in his current state, but was happy that they had found him and wanted to help him out of there. He needed to act strong and tough. Just for now. For MC’s sake. And for everyone else’s. Wounds will heal and pain will go away eventually, but his heartbreak will never leave him if he arrives too late to save and protect his precious MC. 

Bobby was alone with his thoughts for a while before he heard loud banging against the door. He heard Rahim’s and Jo’s groans as they kept hitting and kicking the door. Finally they ran towards it at the same time, throwing themselves onto it with full force and the wooden door came crashing down alongside them. Jo and Ibrahim quickly got up and walked up to Bobby. Ibrahim seemed to want to hug him, but didn’t dare with all of his wound and blood.

“It’s so good to see you, man..” Ibrahim admitted and smiled broadly at Bobby. Jo also smiled at Bobby, nodding.

“We were so scared we wouldn’t have been able to find anyone else..” Jo admitted, biting her bottom lip anxiously.

“How did you manage to find me?” Bobby asked and the two looked at each other, grinning.

“You we’re talking to yourself quite loudly, buddy.. And you kept screaming and shouting at one point…” Ibrahim explained, causing Bobby’s cheeks to glow in a shade of pink, embarrassed that Jo and Ibrahim had heard his mental breakdown.

“Oh yeah..” Bobby muttered, looking down for a second, “But it’s great to see you both. I’m grateful for you coming to my rescue!” He lifted his gaze, grinning with gratitude.

”We’re just glad you’re fine! Well, um.. Like alive and conscious!” Jo exclaimed, peering at Bobby’s wounds worriedly, “Oh my gosh, hopefully we can find some bandages for you…” She muttered.

“We should probably leave soon.. Can’t stay put for too long. Can you walk?” Ibrahim asked, looking around paranoid.

“Umm, well.. My right ankle is kind of sensitive..” Bobby felt bad for being a burden to Jo and Ibrahim, so he tried to play down the amount of pain he was feeling. Jo and Ibrahim eyed him little suspiciously, eyeing him up and down. Ibrahim sighed.

“I’ll support you, mate. Tell us if we need to stop.” Ibrahim smiled and offered his shoulder for Bobby to lean on. Bobby smiled back gratefully and the trio started to make their way out of the cell.

The trio exited the cell together, the bright sunlight blinding them for a second. It felt good. Familiar. Even if everything changes around you, the sun will always remain. Or then things are really wrong if the sun disappears. Bobby had always loved the sun, but especially at this moment, it really soothed his nerves, reminding him of MC’s love, smile and laughter. And everything good in this world altogether. Ibrahim supported Bobby as they made their way in the forest, trying not to accidentally touch his wounds. 

“So.. What happened in the cottage? What attacked you?” Bobby asked as he hadn’t seen his capturer and was interested in the dangers of the forest. Ibrahim shivered at the memory as he returned to the scenario only mere hours ago. 

“They were some kind of… Ogres I guess? They were green, big and ugly. Their eyes were foggy grey. There were three of them. One of them was bigger than the other two that were pretty much the same size. It was like their father or something, I don’t know. One of them was wielding the axe that had disappeared earlier. That one tried to attack Jo and I. We ran away through the back door. It followed us, but we lost it by climbing a tree,” Ibrahim told the story, frowning, “I don’t know what happened to the others. Jakub got knocked out by the big ogre as he was the one to open the door. I think they took him away.. Priya and Hannah hid under some sofas, I don’t know if they were found or not. Marisol shouted something about bathroom and a big group ran there. Again, I don’t know what their plan was and if they made it out or not.” He continued, saddened by the possible fate of his friends.

“I hope they made it out.. I couldn’t bare to think to lose anyone..” Bobby sighed sadly and grimaced, “Well, as for us.. We walked for a good while before Lottie had one of her psychic moments, telling us that something was going to hunt us down. We didn’t believe her at first. Then a deer surprised us and soon after that something started to follow us. We didn’t turn around to look what. We started running for our lives but soon realized that it was way faster than us so we hid.. Well, the others hid and I tried but I tripped. MC noticed and tried to run back for me but Lucas grabbed her and hid behind a large tree with her.. And well, then the thing came and took me.. I don’t remember what it looked like.. It started to drag me away and then everything went black.. I just remember being in so much pain.. Then I woke up at the cell and you came along.” Bobby explained what had happened with their group. 

“That’s so wild.. Do you think everyone else got away?” Jo asked with a worried expression.

“I don’t know.. I hope so..” Bobby sighed and tried to think positively. MC must be okay. It’s the only thought that can keep him going at this moment. 

“What do you think about Lucas.. I mean, if he hadn’t pulled MC away then maybe things would’ve been different and, you know..” Ibrahim trailed off, looking guiltily away from Bobby.

“I know what you mean,” Bobby sighed deeply, “And I’m thankful that he protected her. I know he had her best interests in mind. Had he not pulled MC away.. We could’ve both endured the same fate, I reckon. My only hope is that MC’s safe and sound right now. And what comes to Lucas’ feelings towards her.. I mean, it is what it is. I don’t think he can help it. I mean, MC truly is the best thing that can ever happen to anyone!” He tried to cover his slight worry and insecurities with slight humor. 

“Don’t you think that this is a good chance for them to get close? They’re in a scary situation together, having to look for support in each other.. And they probably think you’re dead! Do you think Lucas will make his move?” Jo asked curiously. Bobby tensed up, all kinds of horrible thoughts popping into his head.

“I mean, nothing’s impossible.. But I’d like to think that Lucas wouldn’t do something like that. He’s a decent guy.” Bobby gulped, shaking her head at his terrible thoughts.

“For what it’s worth.. I think MC is so into you. And if she thinks you’re dead? I think she would be going through so many negative emotions that she would be having none of Lucas’ flirts or advances. I don’t see her as the type of girl who would move on super quickly.” Ibrahim tried to calm Bobby’s nerves, assuring him that MC wouldn’t give herself away that soon and easily. 

“Yeah! MC is super loyal and reliable. She would’ve gone for Lucas already if she truly was interested in him. I don’t know what she sees in me, and Lucas is more handsome, richer, more successful and fitter than I am and I would probably go for Lucas if I was a girl, but like--” Bobby started to ramble, his insecurities raising their ugly heads, a burning sensation dancing in his chest, taking his breath away momentarily.

“Bobby. My man. You’re a total catch! Now, I’m not saying Lucas isn’t, but I’m sure MC loves you for you. She didn’t go to Love Island for money. If she had, she would’ve stuck with Lucas or stolen the money. She went there for love. And that’s what she found. That’s what she found in you. It’s harder to find a funnier, kinder, more tentative and more talented guy in baking and cooking than you! Don’t belittle yourself. We’re all so lucky to know you.” Ibrahim gave a short pep talk to Bobby, a huge grin slowly returning to Bobby’s face.

“Aww Ibrahim, it almost sounds like you’re jealous of me or something. Sorry Jo!” Bobby chuckled and the two of them laughed along.

“That’s the Bobby we all know and love! Now, keep your head up high. We’re going to find MC and everyone and it’s all going to be fine.” Jo beamed at Bobby, giving him an encouraging smile. Bobby returned the smile, feeling much better about his situation already. Yes, he was in pain and yes, he was still worried to death about everyone, but at least he got a little ego boost and some much needed encouragement from his two dear friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now it’s getting more complicated with having not as clear points of views (if MC is not in the scene). Hopefully you can follow along anyway!


	13. Energy is Never Wasted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night reveals new information for certain islanders about their current situation. New findings and clues about current mysteries. Discussions about what death's true nature actually is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible trigger warning: Su*cide. I don't think you should read many horror stories if you are easily triggered by scary/sad/disgusting themes and you know your mind can't handle horror tropes, but I just really wanted to put this out here in case there's someone out here who is triggered by this subject! If you have any suicidal thoughts, please seek help. I love you & Take care of yourself! xx

[Bunker]  
[MC, Lucas, Lottie, Gary & Chelsea]

The group had tried to figure more stuff about this young, tragic woman and her life. They took closer looks at the pictures, flipping them around, took the books out and flipped through their pages as well. They had found some new information, but it wasn’t significant. Apparently the family members' names were Ulf the father, Birgit the mother, Jöns the older son and Leif the younger son. It appeared that the girl was younger than Jöns but older than Leif judging by the picture. That’s the information they got from the backside of the family picture, as the names were scribbled there. They also found out that the girl’s initials were A.H. They found a vague hand-drawn map in between one of the books, but were unsure where it was pointing them to or what it even depicted. A.H. had underlined and circled some of the texts in the books, writing something to the marginals messily, but they were all in Swedish and her handwriting became gradually more and more unreadable. They had been looking everywhere, left with only little information on the girl or the monster they saw. One of the books did have pictures next to the text, but that didn’t help them out as they hadn’t really seen the monster that well.

“Okay, I think we better go to sleep in here. I think this is the safest place we could find and I wouldn’t recommend trying to look for Henrik during the night.. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here..” Lucas spoke up when they hadn’t been able to find any new information for a while. The others agreed tiredly, rubbing their eyes and yawning.

“Where are we going to sleep? There’s only this one small bed that could hold two people at maximum if they really squeeze in..” MC pointed out the obvious issue. 

“Gary and I should sleep there! We’re the only couple here so we have no problems to be very close..” Lottie smirked and winked at Gary. Gary smiled back at her mischievously.

“Yeah okay, you can sleep in the bed, but no funny business in there! This room is not big enough for us to ignore it if you get it on..” Chelsea yelped and the others chuckled at her comment even though it wasn’t very funny. Chelsea just had that kind of effect on people. Or then they all have gone mentally unstable already.

“And the rest of us just sleep on the floor then?” MC questioned with raised eyebrows. Lucas frowned at her slightly and nodded.

“There’s no other places, really. I know it’s going to be uncomfortable, but hopefully it will only last for one night..” Lucas sighed. MC looked at him for a while before sighing as well, defeatedly. 

“Yeah, you’re right.. Ugh, the floor is made out of cement. That’s gonna be like super cold and hard..” MC whined and walked to her back, taking out a thin coat she had taken with her, “Now, should I use this as a blanket or as a pillow..?” she thought out loud.

“Ugh, this is the worst!” Chelsea exclaimed, pouting, “What did we do to deserve all of this? I hope when I open my eyes in the morning that I’d just wake up at my home or at the Villa or anywhere else but here..” 

“At least we’re alive, Chels. Some of our friends might have not been that lucky,” Gary huffed angrily before his look softened up as he kept thinking about his statement, “I'm really going to miss them if that’s the case..” He sighed and his lower lip trembled a little.

“Let’s just try and go to sleep. If we keep thinking about our friends we can never fall asleep and regain our strength for tomorrow..” Lottie sighed, but it was clear that she was upset as well. 

“Yeah, I agree. Let’s try and sleep now, but let’s try and stay alert too. Gary, have the shotgun ready next to the bed. And MC, have your.. knife.. nearby too, just in case.” Lucas ordered and looked at the knife suspiciously. 

“Gary, we’re not going to cuddle with a shotgun between us! Put it on the floor!” Lottie shrieked at Gary who was trying to place the shotgun in the bed with them. 

MC decided to sleep on one of the corners. It felt like the safest place as no one could surprise her from behind. She guesses that is one thing that is left of human primal instincts and their “reptilian brain”. She looked at the fellow islanders for one last time, closing her eyes, trying to block out the sounds of Bobby’s screaming and ignore the visions of him being dragged away like a rag-doll.

…

MC woke up to a cold rush running through her. At first she could only see darkness. When her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw that she was all alone in the bunker. Everyone else was gone. A sense of dread ran through her - Where did everyone go? Did they abandon her as the weak link? What was she going to do now?

MC pushed herself up from the floor, her back and sides aching from the uncomfortable sleeping place. She looked around again, trying to find any signs of her friends. It almost looked like they had never been there. She walked up to the light switch and tried to turn the lights on, but the switch didn’t work. 

“What is going on..? Chelsea! Lottie! Gary? Lucas?” She called out her friends’ names, becoming more and more anxious by every name. Only silence answered her. She called out them a few more times, walking around the dark room. It didn’t provide any results either. MC felt her eyes filling up with tears, debating her options. Were her friends in trouble? Or did they just hate her so much? She sat down on the creaky wooden chair, rested her elbows on the table, hid her head behind her hands and began to sob silently. 

“It’s your fault I’m dead..” She heard a familiar voice call out. She lifted her face up from her hands, trying to see this silhouette of a man. Nothing.

“Why did you abandon me?” The voice asked quietly, sounding sad and desperate. MC looked around wildly, tears streaming down her face.

“It should have been you who died!” The voice screeched maniacally. MC covered her ears, but the screaming still sounded just as loud.

“I’m never going to forgive you! I’m never leaving you alone! I’m going to haunt you until the day you die! Rot in Hell! No one loves you! No one would miss you if you died right now!” The voice kept accusing and MC felt like she was being suffocated. 

“No.. No.. It’s not you! Bobby wouldn’t speak like that to me! My Bobby.. He wouldn’t! You’re not real! You’re not him! Bobby is dead! Leave me alone! I never meant to! I’m sorry! I wanted to help him! I wanted to save him! I loved him! No no no no no no!” MC began to scream on top of her lungs, trying to block out Bobby’s booming voice. But the louder the screamed, the louder she heard Bobby. It sounded like there were multiple of him. MC felt smaller and smaller in the room, like she was shrinking slowly into nothingness… Then she heard a single thump. The voices stopped all of a sudden. She shot up from the chair, looking around. She saw that one of the books had fallen off the bookshelf and had opened to one exact place. MC walked up to the book and picked it up, examining the page. 

It was the hand-drawn map. A strange coolness took over her body and she felt completely void of emotions. Like she wasn’t in control of her own body anymore. She looked at the map, a realization drawing on her. She saw flashes of this strange clearing inside her head.. MC closed the book determinedly, put the book back and went to pick up her knife, leaving everything else behind. She walked to the ladder and began to climb up, strangely calm.

When she reached the surface, a new morning was breaking. She looked at the cotton candy colored sky and smiled. The sun was coming back. Like she always does. Even when everyone else had left her, the sun was still here with her. MC’s legs began to carry her in a certain direction without MC even really thinking about it, and she just followed her instincts. It’s as if she knew exactly where to go. She walked for about ten minutes, although to her it felt more like ten seconds. She arrived on that strange clearing, just like she had seen before. 

“Chelsea! Lottie! Gary! Lucas!” She tried calling out, but everything was strangely quiet. She noticed a small wooden cross in the middle of the clearing, and walked next to it in awe. She knelt down and looked at the cross. One single word was engraved on it. _‘Gosse’_. She looked at the cross and strong emotions suddenly took ahold of her. Tears began to stream down here face yet again, and she couldn’t stop them from coming. Her whole body shook violently and she could help but wail. She laid her knife down and began to dig the ground like a wild animal, sending dirt flying everywhere. Her fingers began to bleed and they stung like Hell, but she kept going, crying louder and louder. The more she dug, the more she felt like she was being suffocated slowly. Then, she finally saw it.

Her boy. 

Her precious baby boy. 

Her precious baby boy’s dead decaying corpse.

Her precious baby boy’s dead decaying corpse that she had buried here after she had accidentally smothered him during a moment of unclarity.

She wasn’t MC. She was Anna Holmstad.

She cried uncontrollably as she picked up the small baby carefully. It looked and smelled horrible. There were worms, maggots and other bugs crawling on it’s skin. There were small holes in it's skin. His clothes were dirty and partly eaten. His eyes were gone, just two black empty holes were staring right back at her. Anna felt a guilty pang in her heart as she cradled her baby boy close, apologizing over and over again. She felt his body turning into mere bones in her arms, but did not want to let him go ever again. She just sat there, holding here baby boy’s small bones, crying and begging for forgiveness from him. From her parents. From her brothers. From her friends. From God. 

The voices came back again. They mocked her, blamed her, cussed at her. And Anna didn’t even complain, didn’t try to make excuses, taking everything in. She agreed with the voices. She was a horrible mother. She had killed her own son. She deserved to be punished like this. She deserves to burn in Hell. She could already feel the hell fire burning her inside out but refused to let go of her baby. 

Suddenly the voices stopped and the air felt lighter again. Anna’s crying ceased and she looked back at her arms. Her baby boy looked just like he was sleeping. He was flesh and blood, and he had a solemn expression on his face. There was no sign of decay or any awful odors. His clothes were clean and pristine. Anna smiled, laying her baby boy back down to where she had taken him. She started to cover up the hole she had dug, putting her baby boy back to sleep. When she was done, she wiped her sweaty forehead, leaving bloody dirt marks all over her face. She looked at the grave, then at the knife right next to it. It glistened beautifully in the morning sun. Anna smiled broadly as she picked up the sharp object, rotating it in her hand. She saw her own reflection. The girl from the photos was staring right back at her. This was the first time she had smiled in months. Her eyes looked brighter and the dark circles under her eyes were gone. The familiar rosy rouge was back in her cheeks. She looked so beautiful and young and healthy. 

That’s how she wanted to be remembered once she was dead. Anna lifted up the knife, pointing at her chest. She took a deep breath while her smile widened even more before thrusting the knife straight into her chest. It hurt only for a second. Anna left out a scream of agony as she twisted the knife in her chest, plunging it deeper and deeper into her heart. She felt blood running down the sides of her mouth. She felt serene and free as she fell to the ground with a loud thump. Who would have guessed that dying was such a liberating feeling? It was quickly becoming one of her favourite emotions and memories. The sun was warming up her cooling body. She heard children laughing in the distance. A butterfly flew right past her glazed eyes, taking her last message to the heavens before she was going to be dragged down to hell. 

…

MC woke up, quickly sitting up from the cold cement floor. She was sweaty and breathing rapidly after the dream she just had seen. She looked around her, not being able to see anything at first, but soon her eyes adjusted and her eyes landed first on Chelsea. She was sleeping soundly on the floor. Then she saw Lucas. Lastly her eyes found the bed and saw that Gary and Lottie were still there. She let out a sigh of relief as she figured out that everyone was still there and they hadn’t abandoned her. 

Suddenly, Lottie shot up from the bed, panting and blinking quickly. Did she have a nightmare too? MC waited patiently for Lottie to realize that she was up too and didn’t make a sound as she didn’t want to scare her. She seemed shaken up by whatever she had just dreamt about. After a while, Lottie seemed to calm down and began looking around, soon spotting MC staring right at her. She slipped her a small smile in the dark. 

“Couldn’t sleep, huh?” Lottie whispered to MC. MC shrugged and smiled back at her weakly.

“I just woke up from a nightmare..” She said quietly and Lottie visibly tensed up just a little.

“You too? I saw the most awful dream just now as well..” Lottie admitted and quietly got up from the bed, making sure that she didn’t wake Gary. She tiptoed right next to MC and sat down next to her, “What did you see?” she asked in a hushed voice.

MC explained her dream to Lottie. How she had woken up alone, looked for her friends and how she began to hear Bobby screaming at her. At that point, Lottie put a consoling hand on MC’s shoulder. MC continued to tell about her dream. How she was crying and suddenly a book had fallen out of the bookshelf. She told about the map and about the moment of clarity she had after seeing the map. How she went outside and walked up to this wooden cross and how that anguish came back and she started to dig. She told her how she had found the decaying body of a baby boy and how she then realized that she was Anna, not MC. Then how the body had transformed twice and how she laid it back to rest, stabbing herself to death afterwards. 

Lottie eyed MC while frowning, clearly thinking about something really hard. She then began to explain her own dream. “Well, it started by me waking up. Everyone else but you were gone. You walked up to my bed and began to strangle me while screaming and crying. I tried to push you off and yell at you to stop but you were too strong. I couldn’t breath. It felt awful. And well, then I blacked out. The next time I opened my eyes, it was completely dark and I couldn’t adjust my eyes no matter how hard I tried. I felt like I couldn’t breathe again. Then I realized that I was buried underground. I tried to move and scream for help but I couldn’t. I then realized I was dead. I just laid there while thinking about you, about dying, about what am I still doing here if I’m dead. Then I heard some sounds and soon digging sounds. The woman from the pictures dug me up and cradled me in her arms. I was angry at her. In my head, I blamed her for my death and I kept calling her these awful names. She cried like the world was ending. I then noticed a knife right next to her and stabbed her right through her heart. She dropped me and fell down dead to the ground. I felt so relieved that she was dead. I kept looking at her, how all life was disappearing from her eyes, how her skin was sinking and losing color and how her muscles were twitching ever so slightly. I felt weird kind of pleasure watching all of that. Then I woke up and the rest is history..” Lottie sighed deeply after she had finished, anxiously fidgeting her fingers.

“That’s so strange.. It’s almost like we saw a mirror images of each other’s dreams.. Like, I was Anna and you were the baby in the latter part..” MC said thoughtfully and scratched her head. 

“How did you know her name? Do you think A.H. stands for Anna..?” Lottie questioned and glanced at the direction of the bookshelf. MC stood up, walked over the bookshelf and picked up one of the pictures, looking at with a forlorn smile on her face. Lottie stood up as well and walked next to her, looking at the picture as well.

“Anna Holmstad. That’s what A.H. stands for. And of course I know her name. I was her in that dream. It’s difficult to forget your own name.” MC spoke calmly while keeping her eyes on the photo. Anna looked so happy there. So innocent. Full of joy and youth, like her life had just begun.. Like nothing was impossible and death didn’t exist. MC felt a single teardrop running down her cheek and on the photo as she couldn’t tear her eyes away, “She was me and I was her for that little while. Her emotions were mine and my emotions were hers. We intertwined in the most wonderful, scariest way possible.” She spoke silently, finally putting the picture away. Lottie looked at her with uncertainty. 

“Do you think that’s how she died? Like, do you think that she killed herself?” Lottie asked silently and played with her her anxiously. 

“No doubt. The diary entries came to a sudden stop, right? And what we saw in those strange dreams.. I think it was a message. I’m not sure why she decided to show that message to us, but.. I just feel like she’s watching over us. She wants us to help her in some way, help her to move on..” MC explained softly and deep in her heart she knew she was right, even though her rational brain was doubting her instincts and telling her that it was just a stupid nightmare, caused by all the stress of the previous day.

“Wicked! I have helped some spirits to move on before,” Lottie grinned and closed her eyes for a second, “Okay, Anna. You hear me? Go towards the white light! You can do it! Go towards it, it’s safe there. You’re going to be fine. We’re going to be fine..” Lottie spoke. A cold rush ran through them. MC felt sick to her stomach.

“I don’t think that’s enough.. Thank you for trying though. I think we need to do something for her.. But I’m not sure what..” MC sighed and Lottie looked at her, nodding her head understandingly. 

“Fair. Maybe she has some unfinished business here that we need to solve for her..” Lottie responded quietly and looked at the photos in deep thought.

“I wonder what time is it..” MC sighed and walked to her rucksack, taking out her phone. There was no service, but at least she could check the time. It was 5.55 am, “It’s nearly six.. Is it smart for us to go back to sleep or should we just stay awake?” MC questioned Lottie, who thought for a while.

“I think the others are going to wake up soon anyway.. Let’s just wait it out.” She shrugged and MC nodded, agreeing with her. They sat down on the floor together, looking at some of the books once again, trying to figure something more out before the boys and Chelsea woke up.

~*~

[Forest]  
[Ibrahim, Jo & Bobby]

Ibrahim, Jo and Bobby had spent the night in a small fort they had made out of spruce branches. It was small, but it was better than nothing. They had hid it in between some large spruce trees so they could be hiding as well as the could, camouflaging to the background. Ibrahim and Jo had spooned the entire night, and Bobby felt a little jealous when he saw them being so close. He was all cold, alone, wishing that he had MC in his arms at that moment. He missed her so much.. He wondered where she had spent the night. Hopefully somewhere better than he had. He wondered if she had cuddled up with Lucas in order to stay warmer.. Bobby quickly shook his head. If MC was going to cuddle with anyone out there, she was going to do it with her bra Chelsea. And that would be completely fine with Bobby. 

Bobby shivered and changed his sleeping position, trying to fall back asleep again. Every little sound made him paranoid and ready to flee. He wasn’t sure what to do next. Should they try and find the others? Should they try and get some help? Just to survive? What was their clear objective here? Bobby wasn’t sure.

Morning came too slowly. Bobby saw the sun beginning to rise, praying for it to rise just a little quicker. Everything felt a tad bit safer in the daylight. Bobby felt as tired as he had felt in the evening, but didn’t allow himself to think about it too much. His wounds were still hurting, maybe a little less than before, but hurting nonetheless. The only thing that kept Bobby sane was the thought of seeing MC again. He was so desperately in love with her, he couldn’t even begin to explain how he felt without her. Detached. Cold. Meaningless. Empty. None of those words were enough to describe his emotions. 

Then it suddenly dawned on him. He was hungry and thirsty. They needed to find a source of food and drinks as soon as possible. It wasn’t probably too difficult to find food in the forest. There are animals, berries and edible plants. But finding water was more difficult. They either needed to gather morning dew from plants, such as birch trees, or they needed to find a body of water and boil that water. And for boiling they needed fire. But to make a fire, they needed to stay put for long period of time. And that didn’t sound like the safest option either. Bobby had lost his rucksack when he was dragged away by that thing, so they essentially had nothing. 

As the sun rose higher in the sky, Jo and Ibrahim started to stir in their sleep as well. Jo woke up first, sitting slowly up while stretching. She noticed that Bobby was already awake and smiled at him warmly, “Did you sleep at all last night?” She questioned.

“A little bit, yeah..” Bobby smiled tiredly back at Jo, shrugging, “But it is what it is. I didn’t expect to sleep that well before I fell asleep. Yesterday so much stuff went down. Stuff that is difficult and painful to process..” Bobby shook his head, trying not to think about those things right now.

“Yeah, that’s true.. I slept better than I thought I would! It’s still not the same as to sleep in a bed, obviously, but it could be worse for me.” Jo explained with a small smile.

“Good for you, Jo!” Bobby chuckled, trying to remain positive. Jo was great fun, but he wasn’t super close with her. Jo was like a friend you mostly have fun with, but one you can't really show your real emotions to. 

Ibrahim began to show signs of waking up as well, and soon he opened his dark brown eyes, noticing that everyone else - and by everyone else it meant Jo and Bobby - had already woken up. He quickly sat up, seemingly embarrassed about waking up last. 

“Good morning, Jo! Morning, Bobby!” He greeted with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck, “We’re all in one piece, yeah?” he made sure and examined both Jo and Bobby.

“As much in one piece as I can!” Bobby laughed and showed off all his limbs. Still intact. Ibrahim and Jo chuckled at Bobby’s antics. They talked for a while in quiet voices, debating what they should do next, “I think we should figure out where to find food and water..” Bobby suggested. Jo and Ibrahim nodded.

“Those are really important issues. Especially the one with water. We can’t survive out here if we’re terribly dehydrated.” Ibrahim spoke and bit his lip in deep thought. 

“We also need to see if we can find anyone else. Henrik could still be out here, all alone. And we don’t know if anyone else managed to escape the cottage, so..” Jo sighed, thinking about all of the possibilities. 

“Don’t you think it’s likely that Henrik has already been captured? He’s been out here in the forest for longer than any of us..” Bobby sighed and hoped that he was mistaken.

“Maybe, but he has also a lot of survival skills. He knows all the tricks in the book.” Ibrahim mentioned. Bobby lifted up his eyebrows, eyeing them with uncertainty. 

“Even all of the tricks against unnatural monsters? Yeah, I don’t think so..” Bobby shook his head and crossed his arms. 

“But we can’t stop looking for him until we’re sure he’s been captured. We can’t be sure.” Jo furrowed her brows and stood her ground. Bobby sighed.

“Yeah, I agree. Let’s keep our eyes open. If not Henrik, we could find someone else. But right now it can’t be our number one priority. We need to figure out how to stay alive and relatively strong out here. I already have a disadvantage…” Bobby grimaced and looked at his wounds. It wasn’t like Ibrahim and Jo weren’t already more muscular and stronger than he was, but now his body was even more vulnerable and frail than usual.

“Okay so, I say that we’ll explore the forest now. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for any water sources and any safe places. Maybe we can find some kind of hut or something in here.. Although we can’t stay there forever, it provides more safety than this,” he pointed at their spruce fort, “And if we find one and a water source, we should try and get a fire going. Just a small one so we can boil the water and maybe cook some meat if we can capture some kind of a small animal.”

“What are we gonna capture a small animal with? He have no knives or guns or anything to kill one..” Jo sighed and bit her lip. 

“We have our hands. We can capture it with our bare hands and bash it’s head with a rock or something.” Ibrahim shrugged. Jo seemed disgusted at the thought. Bobby didn’t like it either, but if it was their only way to say alive, then he was ready to do it. 

“I guess that works. Meat would be way better than just berries and plants. But if we can’t capture anything, we have to settle for berries.” Bobby said out loud and the two others nodded. 

“Let’s get moving now. We have stayed at the same place for too many hours now. It makes me feel paranoid..” Jo whispered and they all walked out of their little hut into the morning light. The forest didn’t seem as scary anymore as it had seemed yesterday, but Bobby knew it’s all just a mirage. The forest was dangerous and hiding hundreds of secrets. 

“Can you walk?” Ibrahim questioned. Bobby looked at his body and decided to try. His right ankle was certainly better than it was last evening, although it still wasn’t back to normal.

“Better, but I may need some support every once in a while.” Bobby shrugged and Ibrahim nodded, an empathetic look on his face.

“Any time, Buddy. Just say a word and I’ll help you out.” Ibrahim smiled at Bobby, who smiled back at him gratefully. Ibrahim was a solid, good guy. Little bit of a coward, but he had a good heart with good intentions. 

The small group of three started walking, hoping to find something, anything positive really. They were alert, keeping their eyes and ears peeled for anything out of the ordinary. They had probably walked for thirty minutes, when Bobby got a strange feeling. He looked around, stopping. Ibrahim and Jo stopped as well, turning to look at him with worry.

“Are you hurting? Do we need to take a break?” Jo asked considerately. Bobby shook his head and tried to figure out what he was sensing. He couldn’t quite pinpoint it. 

“I.. I just feel strange about this place. It’s like..” he began, then just shook his head and continued walking. Jo and Ibrahim shrugged, continuing to walk again. But after only a minute of walking, Bobby froze again, beginning to freak the other two out. Bobby looked at the ground as a realization hit him, “This is the place! The place where I was attacked! Look, that’s my blood!” He pointed excitedly at a bloody trail. There was a rather large stone nearby that had a big bloody patch on it as well. 

“That explains the head wound..” Ibrahim sighed, eyeing Bobby’s head worriedly, “Do we need to leave? You probably don’t want to be here..” Ibrahim began to ask when Bobby sprinted to the forest surprisingly fast, leaving Jo and Ibrahim behind in shock. Soon he returned with a huge smile on his face, carrying his rucksack with him.

“It’s here! My rucksack is here! It still has all of my stuff!” He shouted happily and walked up to Jo and Ibrahim, showing off the contents of his rucksack. There seemed to be two water bottles, a lighter, some canned meat, spare shoes, a map, a compass and his phone. Jo and Ibrahim were staring at the contents for a moment, until they turned to look back at Bobby, smiling widely. 

“Yes! That’s good news!” Jo cheered and couldn’t contain her excitement.

“We have something to drink and eat! It’s not much, but it’s certainly better than what we had before!” Ibrahim smiled broadly and seemed more relaxed than before.

“Yay! We won’t die because of hunger and dehydration today!” Bobby chuckled, “And it’s always good to have a lighter. We can make a fire with ease now.” He reminded the others.

“Oh yeah! And obviously a map and a compass are always useful out in nature.” Jo chuckled.

“Check your phone! Does it work? Do we have service out here?” Ibrahim ushered Bobby, who took out his phone quickly and pressed the button to turn it on. It did open, but there was no service.

“Good news. It miraculously works. Bad news. We have no service.” Bobby explained and Jo and Ibrahim let out annoyed groans. 

“Well, at least we can use the flashlight or something..” Jo said, biting her lip. Bobby quickly put the flashlight on. It worked. They all chuckled and Bobby quickly turned the flashlight off, not wanting to waste battery. Bobby turned his phone off and put it back in the rucksack, zipping the rucksack closed as well. He was about to slip the rucksack on when Jo stopped him, “Please, let me carry that. You’re already wounded and Ibrahim needs to be ready to support you. I don’t have anything to do yet, so if I can ease your burden just a little by carrying your stuff, I’ll do what with a smile on my face!” Jo exclaimed. Bobby thought for a moment before giving his rucksack to Jo, smiling at her gratefully. Jo returned the smile and slip the rucksack on. Then they continued their journey. 

Little did Jo, Ibrahim and Bobby know that Lady Fortuna was on their side today. After walking for about an hour, they saw something from behind the trees. At first they thought that it might be something dangerous so they automatically got ready to run, but as they stopped moving, so did the thing behind the trees. It was motionless. They glanced at each other, now curious about whatever awaited them. They walked closer silently, still ready to bolt. With closer inspection they became to realize that it was a small house in the middle of nowhere.. Well, not exactly a house, more like a shed. What was a random, old and wooden shed doing in the middle of nowhere?

They walked closer, trying to figure out if it was safe to go inside the shed. They also noticed an old well nearby. There was still some water in it. Now they knew at least one water source if they needed it later. The shed seemed save, so they decided to open the door carefully. The shed was mostly dark and empty, apart from some singular things. There was a lone wooden baseball bat leaning against the wall. Ibrahim picked it up and inspected it carefully. It was probably way older than he was.

“Well, now we have a weapon of some sort.. It’s not what I was hoping for as it requires close range to the enemy, but.. It could work.” Ibrahim shrugged and decided to take the baseball bat with him. There were also some empty glass bottles, that Jo filled with dirty well water and put in the rucksack just in case they ran out of clean water sooner than they expected. There were also some red canisters that Bobby investigated. He opened the can and smelt it. Gasoline. There were multiple gallons of gasoline in that little shed. 

“Does any of us currently experience any arsonistic tendencies?” He laughed and closed the cap, turning to look at Jo and Ibrahim. They both shook their heads quickly, “Well, at least we know now there to find gasoline if we need it for some strange reason. But I don’t think we should carry the canisters with us. That’s just unnecessary baggage for us.” Bobby shrugged and decided to leave the gasoline behind. Other than that, it didn’t seem to have anything of interest in there. 

“Could this be a safe place for us to stay during the night? It’s a little small, but at least it’s a building..” Jo asked and the men looked at her thoughtfully.

“Possibly yeah, if we don’t find anything better. But it’s still early. Maybe if we’re lucky we don’t have to spend any more nights here in this cursed forest..” Ibrahim sighed and slipped a hopeful smile to her. Jo smiled back at Ibrahim.

“I sure hope so..” She admitted and took one last look at the shed before they decided to move on.

~*~

[Forest]  
[MC, Lucas, Lottie, Gary & Chelsea]

Eventually Lucas, Gary and Chelsea woke up as well. Gary seemed well-rested, but Lucas and Chelsea looked rather tired and uncomfortable from sleeping on the floor. MC and Lottie told them about their weird entwining nightmares right away, thinking that it might help them out. Lucas dismissed it as a coincidence, Gary seemed worried and Chelsea looked terrified. 

“So I’ll take it as none of you saw any similar nightmares?” MC asked and they shook their heads, confirming MC’s theory. 

“They sounded such awful dreams.. I’m glad I didn’t see them!” Chelsea exclaimed and nervously paced around the bunker. The group decided to eat some food and then head out of the bunker in search for their friends and help. 

“It was a good idea to sleep here. This seems like a safe enough place to retreat again if we need to..” Gary noted and everyone nodded. It wasn’t luxurious to sleep on the floor, but it was better than sleeping somewhere outside in the forest.

The islanders began to talk between themselves and even though MC tried to follow the conversation, she found herself thinking about Bobby one too many times to really understand what they were talking about. Thinking about Bobby was painful. It brought tears to her eyes, took her breath away and made her heart ache. But at the same time she felt like he was never truly dead or gone if she kept him in her thoughts. The nightmare had made her realize that. Know that Lottie and her are more aware about Anna’s backstory and tragic ending, it kind of feels like her memory had been rejuvenated. That they are closer to her than before - like there’s a connection. MC swore in her mind that she was going to keep thinking about Bobby until the day she dies. That way there was a part of him that would always be there with her. No, they won’t get to tie the knot, start a family or grow old together like she had hoped they would, but instead Bobby will be immortal in her memories. Always young and beautiful, full of love and life and love of living.

“MC.. Hey MC..” She heard someone calling out for her name. She came back to her senses and turned to Lucas, who had been trying to get her attention. MC smiled at Lucas with a quizzical look. Lucas smiled back at her, somewhat unsurely, “What were you thinking about?” he asked quietly. MC gulped before answering.

“Bobby, of course. What else?” She laughed sadly and everyone gave her sympathetic looks, “I’m slowly starting to.. understand that he’s gone.. It’s going to take a while before I can fully accept it and move on, but.. That nightmare made me realize many things about death and loss.. It’s like.. our thoughts have so much power. If I keep thinking about Bobby, then maybe he’s never truly gone.. And he’s safe and alive in my thoughts and memories, immortalized. I know it sounds little dumb but it makes me feel at least a little better about never being able to actually see him again..” MC sniffed and did her best to hold back her tears. Lottie touched her shoulder and gave her a warm smile.

“It doesn’t sound dumb. Our thoughts do hold a lot of power. We can create, call forth and destroy things with our minds. There’s this thing called law of attraction that I practice. It pretty much means that you attract the kind of thoughts you have. If you for example think about something positive, like love, with real intent, it will manifest itself into your life eventually. And if you keep thinking about negativity, it will manifest itself into your life as well. So it’s always better to find positivity even in the darkest situations.” Lottie explained with a smile. And there she goes again with her new-age stuff. Soon she will tell that Bobby died because his Saturn was in a bad aspect with his Sun or something.

“But that law of attraction can’t bring Bobby back, now can it? No matter how hard I think about him, with absolutely the purest intent, he will not reappear to my life..” MC sighed and took a bite of the bread she had begun to eat earlier. Lottie shook her head sadly.

“Dead stays dead. They can’t come back to life like that.. Obviously we can think about what happens after death and make an argument about that energy is never wasted, but like.. I don’t think we need to go that far right now. You already have enough to think about as it is..” Lottie mumbled and squeezed MC’s arm. 

“Right now the memory is still probably too fresh for you to think about it without hurting, but in time the despair will turn into longing. The pain will always be there, but it will become easier to live with eventually.. I remember when my grandpa died five years ago. At first I felt like I was dying, too. I kept crying and wondering why he had to go. Today, I still obviously miss him, but now I can smile while thinking about our good memories and if someone ever mentions him to me, instead of feeling sad and hurt, I feel happy that so many people had the privilege to meet him and how he mattered so much to many people.” Gary spoke up and shot a sympathetic look at MC. 

“At least Bobby got to leave while knowing how much loved he was.. And he had such a fun night the day before!” Chelsea yelped. Lucas stared at the ground, feeling a little guilty. Did Bobby have a fun night that night with him flirting with his girl so shamelessly? 

“I hope he felt loved.. I just keep worrying that he felt betrayed because I couldn’t help him.. I keep worrying that maybe at his last moments he became to resent me..” MC sighed sadly and let out a stressed out sob. 

“Bobby? Hating you? You were his love, his life. He could never have hated you!” Lucas smiled sadly at MC. 

“Yeah! You did nothing wrong, MC! I bet he would be so happy if he knew you were still alive and physically well!” Chelsea quickly added. 

“Let’s just stop talking about him for now.. We have to head out. Maybe we can finally find Henrik or at least any clues of what happened to him…” MC stood up quickly and started to pack up her rucksack in a hurry as she was the one carrying most of the food and drinks. Bobby had some too, but she had the majority of it. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s focus on the living for now. We can think about Bobby and the rest when we’re in safety.” Lucas frowned and got up as well. Others followed suit, packing up their stuff and making the place look like no one had ever been there. Gary picked up the shotgun, MC packed her kitchen knife and they started to climb up after one last quick glance to the bunker.

When they were at the surface, they finally got to breathe some fresh air. It felt great. It was getting rather stuffy in the small bunker after all. They looked around intensely, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. They took big sighs of relief and began to march along. They didn’t dare to call out for any names in fear that something dangerous would hear them. 

They walked around, exploring the forest, looking for any signs or clues of hope. MC could sense that Chelsea was super nervous and worried even though she was putting on a brave face. She guessed that every passing hour with no signs of Henrik was causing her to become more paranoid. She had to admit that even she was becoming more and more worried for Henrik’s safety. 

They had walked for around 45 minutes when suddenly Chelsea let out a long and loud scream. Everyone’s first reaction was to shush her, but she kept pointing at the ground, looking disgusted. They turned to look at what has caused Chelsea to scream on top of her lungs.

It was a head of a deer. Without its body. Decapitated. The blood looked still rather fresh. You could nearly see the life that the deer used to have shining in its empty dark brown eyes. MC inspected the deer’s head closer. It didn’t look like it was attacked by a wild animal that would’ve clawed its head off as the wound looked too cleanly cut for that. As if someone had killed it with a sword or a machete. 

“That deer was not killed by another animal..” Lucas confirmed, eyeing the group with both worry and hope.

“But humans are technically animals too, so what was it killed by then?” Lottie chuckled, causing Chelsea to gasp loudly.

“Oh em gee! Maybe it was by some kind of monster! Are monsters considered animals?” She pouted and pondered on her question.

“It looks like it was cut with a sharp object..” Gary muttered thoughtfully, scratching his beard. 

“Could that mean that one of the islanders was here just shortly before?” MC asked and everyone turned to look at her, thinking hard about her comment.

“I guess so..” Lucas nodded and a small smile found its way onto his lips.

“Who would kill a cute little deer?!” Chelsea questioned loudly. Lottie turned to look at her, a singular eyebrow raised.

“Henrik probably. He knows about survival skills so I guess he would know how to decapitate an animal.. Plus, he’s been out here the longest, so he could’ve already ran out of food.. Or drinks..” Lottie explained with a small frown.

“Drinks? How are you going to drink a deer?!” Chelsea gagged, looking at the deer with sadness in her eyes. Gary made a slurping sound.

“You could drink its blood.. I’ve heard about stories where people had to drink animal blood during wartime.” Lottie shrugged nonchalantly. 

“What? Ew! I’m not gonna kiss his mouth before he washes his teeth with bleach if that’s the case!” Chelsea gagged again.

“Aren’t you supposed to be happy that this could be a sign that Henrik, or at least one of our friends, is alive?” Gary questioned and Chelsea thought about it for a moment before smiling.

“I guess that’s a good point!” Chelsea beamed, her mood changing in seconds. The other islanders looked at each other with a twinge humor in their eyes before shrugging, continuing their exploration.

They walked in the forest, occasionally alerted by some sounds of nature. Thankfully for them, they turned out to be wrong alerts in the end. The deeper in the forest they walked, the more paranoid they became. It almost felt like multiple pairs of eyes were staring at them from multiple directions, waiting for them to take one wrong step before attacking. 

Something glimmered in the sun. The whole group stopped and Gary raised his shotgun, looking around for any movement. Lucas started to take careful steps towards the glimmer, MC following shortly behind with a knife in her hand. They approached it quietly and carefully, holding their breaths in. Lucas stopped and froze in his place when he recognized what was lying in front of him. MC nearly bumped into him. With her knife. Awkward. 

“What’s up?” MC whispered to Lucas as he stared at the object with wide eyes. Lucas then ran to the shiny object, picking it up and inspecting it closely. 

“It’s.. It’s Henrik’s phone!” Lucas announced, holding the phone up in the air for everyone to see. They quickly made their way to Lucas, who was still looking at the phone in disbelief. Everyone stared at the phone. It was still displaying an unopened WhatsApp message sent by Gary. 

“That mofo never opened my message!” Gary gasped, frowning. 

“What could this mean?” Lottie wondered out loud.

“Well, most likely Henrik has gone through here. Unless someone stole his phone and dropped it off here randomly, but that doesn’t seem very likely. I’m not sure whether this is a good or a bad sign, though..” MC explained with a frown.

“What do you mean?” Chelsea asked nervously, fiddling with her hair and eyeing Henrik’s phone with profound longing. 

“Why would he drop his phone in any normal situation? I get that maybe it was an accident, but I think it’s even more likely that he was surprised by something and maybe he had to escape from something..” MC explained and looked at Chelsea with an empathetic expression. Chelsea looked shocked, her mouth ajar and eyes wide. 

“I think we should go towards that direction,” Lucas said and pointed forward, “As it seems that he ran off there. Maybe we can find him or at least more clues there..” He added quietly, dread evident in his voice as he thought about all of the possibilities.

“Yeah.. I think that’s our best bet at finding him, anyway!” Gary agreed, about to start walking when Chelsea ran past by him to the direction Lucas had pointed out. The others looked after her, flabbergasted, until quickly following her. Lucas kept ahold of Henrik’s phone.

“Chelsea! Why are you running?!” Lottie yelled after her, but Chelsea didn’t stop running. She kept running, glancing back at her friends.

“I’m going to find Henrik!” She yelled back with a look of determination in her eyes. She didn’t seem burdened by her rucksack or the terrain as she made her way, zigzagging between trees and stones like a pro.. 

Until she stumbled upon something that sent her flying flat to her face. 

“Chelsea!” MC screamed, running to her friend and helping her up, jumping over whatever made Chelsea trip. Luckily Chelsea seemed fine, only few small visible scratches, but she did seem kinda taken aback. MC turned to look at the culprit that made Chelsea fall, only to find Henrik’s rucksack, abandoned to the ground. It still had all of his belongings inside. It just laid there, forgotten and lonely. The others looked at it and gulped. Chelsea’s eyes began to water at the sight. 

“Why would his rucksack be here.. And not with him?” Chelsea asked quietly, afraid of hearing the answer. 

“I think we all are thinking about one possible explanation..” Gary sighed with heavy heart and looked at the rucksack mouth hanging open.

“He wouldn’t just leave his rucksack behind for fun.. It would be inconvenient.” Lucas sighed deeply and clenched his free fist, gritting his teeth.

“Either he dropped it when he was being chased by something and the rucksack was too much of a burden, slowing him down..” MC began to rationalize their finding, but couldn’t bear to finish the sentence. Lottie took in a deep breath.

“Or he was captured.” She continued and looked at Chelsea empathetically. Chelsea shook her head in disbelief, backing away from the rucksack, eyes full of tears.

“No, no, no.. It can’t be like that.. He’s okay.. Please tell me he’s okay..” She kept mumbling, eyebrows furrowed and tears now streaming down her face. She fell to the ground in shock and MC quickly walked up to her, engulfing her into a tight hug. 

“We can’t be sure what happened yet.. But prepare for the worst and hope for the best outcome.. We’re all there for you..” MC spoke and held Chelsea close as she cried desolately. The others exchanged worried glances. Lucas’ eyes were glistening as he stared at the rucksack, his expression absolutely heartbroken. Gary hugged him consolingly, fully knowing how close those two were. Lottie looked at the others hugging, frowning and shaking her head in disbelief. But she told herself to stay strong and level-headed. Even Lucas, who was usually so composed and calm, was close to a breakdown, so she had to remain strong for all of their sake’s. She knelt down next to the rucksack and began to put some of its contents to her own rucksack. 

“Teetee, what are you doing?” Gary asked when he noticed, looking at Lottie with raised brows.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I doubt Henrik has any use for these items right now..” she spoke quietly and took all kinds of items out of the rucksack, “But we could have some use of these. We can’t take the whole rucksack with us as that would be just way too much extra baggage, but we can take some of the more important items with us..” She explained and took out rope, some food and drinks, a lighter, a first-aid kit and a map. 

“I guess she’s right.. Even if Henrik is still free and alive,” Lucas gulped at the word, “This forest is so large.. He would most likely not be able to find his stuff again..” he sighed and wiped his eyes. Chelsea was still crying and MC was still holding her close, whispering comforting words into her ear. 

“We gotta keep moving.. If Henrik was attacked here, then this could be a dangerous place to stay at..” Gary said worriedly and peered around him paranoid. MC helped crying Chelsea up and supported her when they started to move forward, leaving Henrik’s mostly empty rucksack behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of findings, a lot of clues.. But what do they all mean? That dream scene was so much fun to write for me for some reason! Comments and kudos are always appreciated. Have a good morning/day/evening/night! xx


	14. Mad Girl's Lullaby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I just want to warn some of you. The last "part" has smut and is kind of effed up. I didn't feel too great about writing it for some reason.. But hopefully you can manage! Proof-reading didn't make me feel as bad as I felt while writing it anymore.

[Island]  
[Hope, Noah, Marisol, Elisa & Rocco]

The group stranded on a small island had spent their night under the stars. They hadn’t had much time to explore before nightfall and decided just to stay at the edge of the forest, leaving most of the exploration for the following day. It might have sounded like a dumb idea, but they were truly tired and confused from the earlier events. They kept sharing conspiracy theories and ideas about what they had seen and what had happened to the others. 

They had woken up early to the feeling of being watched. Marisol had woken up first, a cold rush running through her body. She looked around but wasn’t able to spot anything out of the ordinary. She knew she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep even if she wanted to, she stayed on lookout until the others started to wake up. Noah woke up next, followed by Rocco, Hope and lastly Elisa. 

“Morning, everyone!” Elisa stretched and yawned, looking around. At first she looked confused and scared, but soon the realization hit her, “I kind of tried to tell myself before that it was all a bad dream and now when I woke up I was so confused.. I tried to forget that it all even happened..” She sighed and rubbed her wary eyes. 

“It is rather unbelievable..” Hope bit her lip anxiously and drew some shapes to the ground below. Everyone nodded in agreement, trying to fully wake up.

“So, what’s the agenda for today?” Rocco questioned and combed his hair with this hand, looking out to the forest. 

“Well, we better start exploring. We need to find materials for a raft and probably something edible. It would be awesome to find some place where we could start a fire so we could boil some water for us to drink as well..” Marisol explained and the islanders nodded along. 

“We are not going to get anything done by sitting here. Let’s get a move along.” Noah mumbled and stood up, followed by the others. They started to make their way deeper into the forest. The deeper they strayed, the less sunlight they were able to receive. The trees looked old, almost ancient, and they were towering over them like twisted, dark skyscrapers. 

“Wow, they should film a horror movie here..” Rocco laughed anxiously. No one joined him in laughter, but exchanged troubled glances. 

Suddenly Noah’s footsteps came to a halt and his body tensed up, listening for something. Elisa glanced at him with surprise. 

“Why did you stop? Did you hear something?” Elisa whispered and Noah furrowed his eyebrows, cocking his head to the left.

“I thought I did.. But it was gone as soon as I started to focus on it..” Noah sighed. Hope put her hand on Noah’s shoulder consolingly and smiled at him emphatically.

“This place is probably just getting in your head. I know it’s starting to mess with my head, too..” Hope said quietly and pecked Noah’s cheek affectionately, taking his hand softly. 

“I guess that’s fair to assume..” Noah admitted and returned a small smile to Hope before the group started to walk forward again, now even more alert than before.

There seemed to be fewer and fewer trees for some reason, letting more sunlight in. Everything seemed a little less scary like that. They could see that there were old tree stumps, so someone had been cutting down the trees at some point.. 

Marisol felt a shiver and stopped, swearing that she was hearing something now, too. The feeling of being watched was becoming more and more intense and alerting, “I can hear something.. It’s like..” Marisol frowned and listened intently. No one dared to breathe.

“Does it sound human or not?” Rocco whispered and Marisol shushed him, her expression rigid and focused.

“It’s like.. In-between. It’s mostly human, but there’s something off. I really don’t know what..” She sighed.

“I get what you mean. That’s what I heard too!” Noah mumbled and listened, “It sounds feminine to me..” he gasped.

 _Nu kommer natt efter dagens strid  
Och alla stjernor de glimma;  
Sof sött i natten, min stjerna blid  
Mitt ögas ljufvaste strimma!_

Now even the rest of them could hear it. It sounded like a young woman, humming a soft tune. They couldn’t recognize any of the words, but were still somehow filled with unexplainable grief. Elisa’s eyes filled with tears. Hope started to tremble. Marisol hang her head and looked at the ground. Noah clenched his fists and Rocco’s mouth was ajar and eyebrows knitted together.

_Och himlens stjernor utsläcka  
De säga att min skatt är död,  
Att alla min ångest, att all min nöd  
Ej kan den dyra uppväcka_

“What is going on?” Elisa whispered and wiped her tears away, trying to move towards the sound, but her legs started to wobble violently. The voice became a little louder, as if whoever was singing was slowly waltzing closer to them. 

“I think that song is in Swedish..” Noah whispered and didn’t dare to move. 

_De hvita englar, de se din blund,  
De se så ljufligt dig drömma.   
De bida alla en morgon klar,   
När stilla öppnas ditt ögonpar  
Och i sin famn de dig gömma_

The air felt cooler and they could wear whoever was singing was right in front of them, yet there was no one. Their voice was beautiful, sorrowful and had incredible depth. It sounded like it was coming from everywhere, yet nowhere, like it was on a completely different plane of existence. The wind picked up, pushing the islanders forward, as if beckoning them to follow. Then the voice started to go back, it became quieter and quieter. 

“Let’s follow it..” Rocco breathed and for some reason, no one rejected that idea. They felt inclined to follow it. There was just something to melancholic and magical about the song the voice they were hearing.

_Jag vaggar dig till en salig ro  
Från mycken ångest och möda;  
Jag vaggar dig till en helig tro  
På Jesus Christus den döda_

“Wait, did it say Jesus?” Marisol questioned, lifting her eyebrows in surprise. 

“I don’t think demons are allowed to say his name, so maybe we’re not going to get brutally murdered by some demonic creature after the song is done?” Noah chuckled hopefully as they kept following the noise. Every time it seemed to go too far away to hear clearly, it seemed to stop and wait for the islanders.

_Jag vaggar dig från all jordent kif  
Till himmelsk glädje och evigt lif,  
Som ingen mask kan föröda.._

The voice started to die out, as if it's time had run out. That’s when the group realized they had arrived in a clearing with a wooden building in the middle of it. There were some crosses and stones in front of it, and an overgrown pathway led to the giant front doors. They saw a cross on top of the high ceiling, old and rusted, but still upright. 

“Is this.. A church? In the middle of nowhere?” Elisa gasped and looked around herself. When they looked closer, they could see some ruins of old, demolished buildings further away, but the church was the only building still in a decent state.

“I think so…” Hope let out a long breath before walking up to some of the stones and crosses. Most of them were too faded out to read. One of the readable one’s were in Swedish. It was probably a memorial stone of some sort. It had the years 1867-1869 engraved on it.

One stone above all seemed more looked after than the others. Hope walked up to it, looking at the names. There were four of them. The big golden letters spelled out ‘Holmstad’.

_Per  
12.9.1892 - 30.1.1965_

_Mary  
22.5.1895-3.3.1972_

_Anna  
19.11.1955-1975_

_Birgit  
6.6.1931-28.10.1998_

_Vila i Frid_

“Who were these people..? Someone has brought flowers here not that long ago..” Hope sighed and looked at the beautiful roses. Someone remembered and missed these people. 

“Why does it not have the death date and month of Anna?” Marisol frowned and looked at the stone. The surname did seem familiar, and maybe the name Anna, but nothing else rang any bells in her head.

“Is this what that mystical sound wanted us to find?” Rocco sighed and looked at the church. It wasn’t in complete disrepair, but it had certainly seen better days, “Do you think it would be safe to go in there?” Rocco questioned and pointed at the church. 

“Probably, yeah.. But let’s only make our final call when we see the inside..” Noah said and started to walk towards the church, others following in his wake. He cracked the large wooden door open silently, peering inside carefully. 

It was a simple wooden church in the shape of a cross. There weren’t many paintings or decorations on the wall. Chandeliers seemed modern, but almost everything else looked old. It didn’t look like this church was in use that many times during the year. It did have small organs on the side. Above the altar there was a large oil painting which depicted the Ascension of Jesus Christ. Noah took careful steps into the church. The floorboards creaked, but seemed sturdy enough.

“It seems safe enough..” Noah told the others and walked in more confidently. The others walked in as well, looking around them in wonderment, still trying to wrap their heads around why there was a random church in middle of otherwise abandoned island. 

Once all of them had walked in, the chandeliers lit up seemingly on their own. Elisa and Hope screamed, panic evident in their eyes. Marisol jumped, but tried to stay logical about it.

“Maybe it was a malfunction.. Or automatic..” Marisol explained and everyone wanted to believe her explanation. At least it was easier to see now. The benches were made out of dark wood and next to altar there were two doors. The group started to explore the church. There were plenty of hymn books on the wall next to the front door. Some of the benches also had them laid down on them. There was an old, large Bible open on the altar. They couldn’t read the text or figure out which part of the Bible it was opened in. It was probably from the Old Testament in any way. As they were expecting the Bible, they heard some silent creaks against the wooden floor. They looked up, about to shit themselves. At the same time, one of the doors opened on it’s own slowly and the footsteps disappeared.

“Well, that was a common horror trope..” Elisa snorted, trying to lighten up the mood.

“It was probably the wind..” Marisol tried to explain rationally, but this time people were more unsure about her explanation. The group slowly walked towards the opened door, still uncertain whether they should follow these signs or not.

Noah walked in and breathed out in relief. It was just a back room, where the priest would chill before a ceremony. It looked rather clean and the sunlight streamed in from the large window. There was a white table with two chairs, some cupboards and a nice, warm rug. 

“Well, this doesn’t look that eerie..” Hope chuckled and walked in. This place felt more relaxed than the rest of the church. Rocco walked in next, followed by Marisol and lastly Elisa. The room felt well filled with people already. 

“This could be a good safe place for us if we need one!” Elisa exclaimed. Marisol chuckled at her excitement.

“Wanting to start a fire in church? That’s metal.” Marisol laughed and everyone joined her. Elisa went to explore one of the cupboards when she suddenly tripped. Marisol turned to her, surprised and walked up to her, hitting her foot against something as well, “You okay?” She asked Elisa as she helped her up. They both grinned at each other stupidly for a second.

“What did you trip on?” Rocco wondered and lifted up the rug, revealing a trap door. They all stared at the trap door, frozen. A small smile found its way on Rocco’s lips, “Well, well, well, what kind of secrets have stumbled upon?” He chuckled and opened the trap door. It was so dark that they couldn’t see much by looking in. It felt really cold against their skins. 

“Should we explore that?” Noah whispered. The group exchanged worried looks. Anything could be waiting for them down there. At least it cold be a wine cellar… Or maybe a secret passage… Or maybe a catacomb… Were they ready to face whatever waited for them down there?

...

 **A/N:** “The song” is actually a poem written by Swedish-speaking Finnish author, poet, journalist and historian _Zacharis Topelius_ (1818 - 1898). It’s called _‘Lotta Lennings vaggvisa_ ’, Eng. Lotta Lenning’s lullaby. It’s about a mentally unstable woman that cradles her dead baby. I couldn’t find English translation of the poem, so I translated the parts I used with some artistic liberties:

_Night comes, day has ended  
And the stars are shining bright  
Sleep well in the night, my lovely star  
The apple of my eye!_

_And Heaven’s stars wail  
They tell me that my treasure is dead  
That all of my anxiety, all my distress  
Can’t wake up my dearest_

_The white angels watch over you  
While you are sleeping peacefully  
They stay until the morning light  
When you quietly open your eyes  
And they hide you away in their arms_

_I rock you into blissful peace  
From a lot of anxiety and distress:  
I rock you to Holy faith  
In Jesus Christ  
I rock you from all of Earth’s misery  
Into heavenly joy and eternal life  
Which nothing can disturb_

~*~

[Forest]  
[Bobby, Jo, Ibrahim]

Bobby, Jo and Ibrahim were still walking around, trying to look for the other survivors or a safe place. They decided to take a break to eat some of the canned meat they had and drink some water. They knew they couldn’t eat much, but it was still better than nothing. They shared one canned meat between the three of them. It barely helped with the hunger and it obviously was not the most appetizing meal they’ve had, but it did boost their morale to go on a little.

Ibrahim was reaching for a water bottle from Bobby’s rucksack when his hands found something else at the bottom of it. He felt it in his hands, rotating it around, a confused look on his face. It was smooth, yet hard.. It wasn’t too big.. He pulled it out and was met with a small velvet box. He stared at it surprised and cleared his throat awkwardly. Bobby and Jo turned around to see the box in his hand. Jo’s mouth opened in shock and Bobby’s face flushed red.

“Rahim! Put it back!” Bobby shrieked and tried to grab the small box from Ibrahim. Ibrahim chuckled and hold the box up high as he was taller than Bobby. Bobby kept jumping up, trying to reach the box, his face still red with embarrassment. After a while, Bobby gave up and pouted. Ibrahim opened the box and saw a gorgeous ring in it.

“Aww, Bobby, where you thinking about proposing to MC? That’s so sweet!” Jo smiled warmly at Bobby after seeing the contents of the box. 

“Well, to be honest, I’ve carried it around with me all times for a few months now,” He explained and smiled like a goof, “I know she’s the perfect girl for me. But I didn’t know when would the perfect time arrive, so I’ve just had it with me.. I thought that maybe if this trip went well, I could’ve pop the question on the last evening or something.. But things didn’t go like that, so…” He continued, frowning sadly, “And I’m not talking about the arguments we had! They are part of relationships and they didn’t make me lose any of my love towards her! I’m just talking about all of the creepy stuff happening..” 

“Yeah, I feel you..” Ibrahim sighed and looked at the ring for one last time before snapping the box close and offering it back to Bobby, “Not the most romantic setting..” he added with a sad smile. Bobby took the box, opened it again and looked at the ring, smiling broadly, completely lost in his thoughts.

“Well, it’s the thought that matters..” Jo smiled awkwardly and bit her lower lip. 

“Yeah, that’s right.. Like, I already understood it thanks to this trip,” Bobby started to talk while closing the box and putting it back in his rucksack, “After almost dying and being separated from her, I understood how fragile life can really be. I should have probably asked her right after I bought the ring, but I was scared and waiting for that perfect opportunity.. Now I may not have a single opportunity to ask her.. And I also thought I lost the ring when I didn’t have my rucksack with me, too. It wasn’t exactly the cheapest ring, so I would have been angry at myself had I lost it..” Bobby sighed and kept staring at the ground.

“It wouldn’t have been your fault if you had lost it, though..” Ibrahim reminded him and Bobby just nodded at him, deep in thought, “But I think it’s so cute that you’re so committed to MC and ready to propose! I’m sure you’ll still have a chance at that. Try and stay positive!” Ibrahim encouraged him and Bobby smiled at him. 

“I sure hope so.. And I hope she would say yes.. I know I’ve been moving fast with her, but I’ve never been so sure about anything or anyone before..” Bobby explained, that goofy smile making a comeback. He truly was a love-struck little dork. 

“I’m sure she would say yes! You know what, pop the question right after you meet again. That would be a memory and a half!” Jo laughed and patted Bobby’s back. 

“I don’t know about that, but thanks for your opinion. It’s always great to get a girl’s opinion on something like this!” Bobby laughed and seemed more relaxed than earlier. 

After they all had drank some water and eaten some meat, they decided to continue their journey. Bobby had his heads in the clouds, imagining how to pop the question and how MC would react. Jo and Ibrahim were humored by his current state, silently whispering something into each other’s ears as Bobby kept humming the wedding march.

“This is too adorable.. And funny! I wish I could film this and send it to our WhatsApp group!” Jo snickered and Ibrahim nodded approvingly. 

They walked for another 20 minutes, when Ibrahim stopped and shushed the others. He had his baseball bat ready, looking around and then tiptoeing forward. The two others followed suit, confused. Then they saw whatever Ibrahim had seen - movement between the trees. Their bodies tensed up as they silently walked towards the slight movement. 

“Is it an animal?” Bobby whispered quietly, but Ibrahim shushed him quickly, alerting the attention of whoever or whatever was moving. Ibrahim stopped, ready to attack. Jo and Bobby stayed behind him as they were unarmed, shivering in fear. 

Suddenly something jumped from behind the trees with a loud yell, “Dra åt helvete, jävla odjur!” The thing screamed and leapt towards the trio. The thing had something shiny and long in his hands. Bobby, Jo and Ibrahim screamed in terror, Ibrahim’s hands were trembling as he swung the bat, missing the target. Ibrahim closed his eyes, waiting for the finishing blow. But it never came. Shivering with fear and adrenaline, Ibrahim opened his eyes slowly and saw..

Henrik.

Henrik was holding a shiny machete, his golden hair was covered in dirt and leaves, he had some stubble and his clothes were dirty and even little ripped. It looked like he had seen better days. He had some minor wounds and something red around his mouth.

Bobby, Ibrahim and Jo stared at Henrik in disbelief. Henrik stared back at them, mouth hanging open. They didn’t say anything to each other for a while, until small, relieved smiles found their way on everyone’s lips.

“Henrik! Buddy! You’re alive!” Bobby shouted ecstatically and hugged Henrik tight. Henrik hugged him back, laughing.

“Bobby! Jo! Rahim! It’s so great to see you guys!” Henrik hugged both Jo and Ibrahim as well, feeling very emotional about the reunion, “What has happened with you guys? Bobby, you look awful! And shouldn’t you all be at the cottage?” Henrik asked quizzically, staring into everyone’s eyes in turn.

Bobby told the whole story how they had sent a search party consisting of himself, MC, Chelsea, Lottie, Gary and Lucas after they didn’t hear of Henrik and how they were attacked and how that creature had dragged him away to some type of a cell. Then Jo explained what happened at the cottage and lastly Ibrahim told Henrik how they had found Bobby with Jo and what have they been up to afterwards. Henrik listened in silence, nodding along with a ever-present frown on his face.

“So what happened with you, dude?” Bobby asked and lifted his other eyebrow at Henrik, cocking his head. Henrik let out a long breath and started to tell what happened.

“After I left, I was attacked just like you were, Bobby. But I managed to get away by throwing away my rucksack as it was too much of extra baggage, hiding and after that the beast gave up. Then I continued along, but at some point I noticed that I was lost. I tried to look for my rucksack, but couldn’t find it anymore. I found this little rundown hut, a machete and I went to sleep at some point. Early in the morning, I walked along aimlessly, hunting for some food. I killed this deer by decapitating it and got some meat and blood from it,” he pointed at his red mouth, kind of embarrassed, “And now I’ve been just trying to find my way to the neighbors, but I don’t know where I am at all without a map..” He admitted with a sad expression.

“Wow, so you’ve seen the monster?” Ibrahim asked and Henrik nodded, “Was it like this green, big and ugly thing with grey foggy eyes?” Ibrahim asked again, but this time Henrik shook his head. 

“It was furry.. Kind of wolf-like, but it could run on two feet. It’s hard to explain, it was so fast that I couldn’t get a good look at it..” Henrik sighed and the trio exchanged troubled looks. 

“Yeah, I don’t even remember what my attacker looked like, so it’s fair that you can’t exactly describe it.. Maybe it was the same thing.” Bobby shrugged. 

“What were you doing there behind the trees?” Jo asked.

“Eating some of the deer meat. It’s quite delicious, you want some?” Henrik asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Is it raw or cooked?” Ibrahim asked warily. Henrik’s face fell.

“Raw.. I hadn’t had time to start a fire.. Plus I’m scared that it’ll attract.. You know.” Henrik admitted. Jo let out a gagging sound.

“Can we just order pizza?” She asked sarcastically. Henrik pouted.

“We just ate some canned meat, so we’re fine for now, thank you for offering..” Bobby sighed and gave Henrik an empathetic smile. Henrik smiled back at him.

“Anyway, let’s keep moving now. We’ve made enough noise for them to hear us.. And left enough of our scent on this one singular space..” Henrik muttered, went to get some of his meat and they started to walk along. 

Bobby was so relieved that they had managed to find a new party member. And especially as that party member was Henrik. He had been in the forest for the longest, all alone, and Bobby had been so worried for Henrik’s well-being. Bobby knew that he was familiar with forests, hiking and survival, but it’s a whole different thing to survive in a forest filled with monsters.. He was glad to see his friend doing relatively well and alive. He was also relieved that Henrik was armed with something sharp seeing how Ibrahim had failed to protect them with the baseball bat before.

They walked around, trying to look for any new friends and familiar landmarks. But it all looked the same to Bobby. Every tree, every stone, where’s the difference? The group of now four members walked around for another hour, before stumbling against something. It was a metallic, rusty trap door, just laying there in the ground.

“Let’s see if this opens..” Henrik mumbled and knelt down, trying the door. It opened, revealing a ladder that went down. Henrik glanced at the others, who just nodded at him, and started to descend down the ladder. It was dark, but he managed. Once he was down, he looked carefully around, his machete ready. When Henrik saw nothing out of the ordinary, he started to look around the room, “Oh! We have a light switch here! Interesting!” He shouted and put on the lights. 

It was a cement bunker, mostly empty with some odd furniture here and there. A single bed, a table, a chair next to it and a bookshelf with some books and pictures, “It’s safe to come down! It’s an abandoned bunker!” Henrik yelled to the rest of them. Jo came down first, followed by Bobby and Ibrahim came last, closing the trap door. 

“What do we have here?” Jo mumbled and began to look through the bookshelf, “Henrik! These are in Swedish! Come and translate!” Jo called out and Henrik joined her, looking through the books. Ibrahim went over to the table and saw a diary, opening it. He was that the text was somehow in English and sat down, beginning to read it with intrigue. 

Bobby noticed something strange on the floor. It was a sock. A very familiar sock.. He picked up the sock that was next to a cool box, inspecting it carefully, racking his mind. How did this sock look so familiar? He smelt the sock and then made a shocking revelation, “MC has been here!” He shouted and everyone turned to look at him, surprised.

“What do you mean?” Ibrahim asked with great confusion.

“This is her sock! She has been here!” Bobby kept insisting, waving the lonely sock in his hand as if it was a flag or something. 

“And you know that by… a sock?” Jo asked, raising her eyebrows. 

“Well, yeah! This is her sock! I’ve seen it like hundreds of times! And it smells just like her..” Bobby said, getting all emotional thinking about his love being here in this bunker just a while before them. He took another sniff of that sweet feet aroma.. 

“Ew. I know your obsession with toes but this goes too far, Bobby!” Ibrahim gagged and couldn’t bare to look at Bobby sniffing the sock.

“I just love how she smells!” Bobby grinned back and begun to lick the sock slowly.. Everyone gagged and Bobby just started to laugh, “Relax! It’s a clean sock. It’s just smells like laundry juice!” He chuckled.

“Laundry.. Juice? You mean detergent?” Jo asked with humor and Bobby nodded.

“Good cover up, Bobby! Doesn't sound like a believable excuse knowing you,” Henrik winked while laughing, “I wonder whether they stayed the night here.. This seems like quite a safe space. Maybe MC had some food in her rucksack and the put it to the cool box and accidentally dropped her sock while looking through her rucksack? At least Bobby has a rucksack, so I just assumed MC had one too..” Henrik explained his thought process.

“Yeah, that’s right! We all had a rucksack and MC had majority of the food items.. I only had some canned meat. That sounds like a believable story..” Bobby nodded.

“Okay, so, it’s likely that MC, Chelsea, Lucas, Gary and Lottie have been in here.. That’s good to know. There’s a small chance that they may return, but we shouldn’t bet on it. Anyway, I feel like this is a safe space for us to stay here for a little while before continuing. I’m going to look through these books..” Henrik listed out, seemingly relieved to know that his friends and girlfriend might have been safe in this bunker before.

“Yeah, and I’ll look through this diary I found.. Fancy helping me out, Jo?” Ibrahim asked Jo, who nodded and walked next to him, looking at the diary as well.

“I think I’m going to look through the photos, then.. And maybe rest a little. My body is still quite hurt and vulnerable after being dragged through a forest..” Bobby stated and the rest of them nodded at him.

“We won’t hold it against you if you decide to lay down for a while or even take a nap. We’ll be here once you wake up.” Henrik assured Bobby, who smiled at him gratefully. He walked next to Henrik and looked at the photos on the bookshelf. They all featured the same, young lady with a charming smile. The pictures looked little old.. He turned to photos around and saw some names and dates. The pictures were apparently from early 70s. 

Silence fell to the bunker as everyone was focused on their own tasks. Bobby was soon ready with looking at the photos as he didn’t have as much to read as the others. He yawned after a restless night’s sleep and walked up to the bed, laying down, quickly drifting off to some well-deserved sleep. 

~*~

[Forest]  
[MC, Lucas, Lottie, Gary & Chelsea]

MC, Lucas, Lottie, Gary and Chelsea had walked for hours now, wondering how big can one single forest really be. They had stopped to eat something for 10 minutes or so, but quickly continued on their merry way, afraid of being caught. It was all starting to feel so useless. They were never going to find anyone. No one was coming to help them. They were lost in the forest without even really knowing if anyone else was still alive. Their only hope was that someone had escaped and found help, but it seemed more and more unlikely the more time had passed.

Chelsea had not said a word after they had found Henrik’s rucksack. She was deep in her own thoughts, occasionally sniffing and sighing. Whenever she did that, MC ran a comforting hand down her back, pulling her closer. She knew how bad she must have felt.. She was still grieving over Bobby, and now Chelsea probably was going through similar emotions while grieving over Henrik. 

Everyone was pretty quiet at that very moment, to be honest. Lucas was visibly hurt and upset, rightfully so, and his dark eyes looked empty and hopeless as they scanned the terrain. The only moments they had some glimmer of hope in them was when he occasionally glanced at MC. She was still alive. There was still something worth protecting left in this cruel and ugly world that had taken away his best friend. 

Lottie and Gary exchanged some quiet words every once in a while, speaking in hushed voices. They were walking first, leading the group aimlessly. But even they didn’t rise up their voices to talk to the rest of them, knowing how upset everyone was at the moment. They were saddened, too, but their survival instincts were overpowering their sorrow for the time being. 

MC was a bit of a mess right now as well. There were many reasons for that. Firstly, Bobby was gone. Secondly, Henrik was probably gone. Third, most of her other friends were most likely gone. Fourth, she kept hearing this voice inside her head. It was speaking to her softly, her words were kind and soothing, but she couldn’t understand any of what the voice told her. Sometimes when she looked at her hands or at her feet, they looked different. Odd. They didn’t feel like her hands or feet. She came to the conclusion that she was going crazy. Or maybe she was on drugs or physically ill? Maybe she ate something funny accidentally? Whatever was going on, she didn’t want to admit it out loud. She didn’t want to cause any more worry to her dear friends. Some things are better to bottle up, right..? 

They walked and walked in silence, trying to sense any potential looming danger. Everything seemed to peaceful right now. Too peaceful. It was like the calm before the storm. They didn’t trust the silence. You know that things are going south, when birds quiet down and just look at you like you’re dead meat, right? And that one pesky bird sitting on a pine tree was giving just those types of eyes to MC. 

Soon enough they came to notice that they were on top of a cliff. The group looked down. The drop didn’t seem too bad, but it would probably hurt if they just dropped down there. Maybe someone would sprain their ankle, or break a bone or two. They’d rather not do that. Lottie looked down, frowning, and then slipping off her rucksack.

“Should we find a path down or turn around?” Lucas asked quietly, eyeing the drop suspiciously, “Or maybe we walk close to the edge until the cliff just.. Ends?” 

“That could be miles and miles worth of extra walking, mate.” Gary reminded Lucas and Lucas just nodded, his head clearly not really there. 

“Or then we use this rope! Maybe this means that we’re on the right track, as Henrik had packed some rope in his rucksack?” Lottie smirked and showed off the rope she had taken from Henrik’s rucksack. Everyone eyed her with suspicion that slowly turned into hope and determination.

“You could be onto something there, Lottie!” MC exclaimed and Lottie smiled proudly at her.

“Or then he had packed it just because, you know, you never know when you’ll find a nice cliff or boulder you want to climb? At least when you’re Henrik!” Lucas laughed dryly, others except for Chelsea joining in. Lucas’ face fell, “Oh man, I miss him so much..” He sighed and looked at the rope with a frown. 

“We all do..” Lottie sighed and rotated the rope in her hand anxiously, “Okay so, are we going down or what?” she asked carefully.

“We’re not rock climbers, Lottie. Do you think we could do it?” Gary questioned and Lottie eyed the group.

“I think all of us are strong enough to at least make it half-way there, and dropping off there probably wouldn’t hurt too much. And we could make it so the strongest goes down first and is ready to help and catch the ones that are not so sure of themselves.” Lottie explained rationally, others nodding along. Chelsea eyes the rope worriedly, but didn’t say anything. 

“I think I could make it down okay. I’m just worried for you guys.” Gary sighed. Lucas slipped him a small smile and hit his arm.

“Are you underestimating me, mate? I’m not some scrawny kid even though I’m not quite as big as you!” He laughed and Gary joined him, ruffling his black hair like a brother would.

“Okay, so the common consensus is that we’re going down there, yeah? Let’s find a place where to tie the other end.. Maybe a stone? Or a tree?” Lottie asked and started to look around for some kind of sturdy object. She spotted a big stone quite close to the edge and walked over there, trying to tie the rope around it. It looked a little awkward though, and Lottie frowned, “Maybe a tree would be better?” she questioned and started to scan the area for a nice looking tree. 

As Lottie was struggling with finding the perfect tree, the others spoke shortly. Well, the boys and MC talked, Chelsea just stared ahead and played with her blonde hair absentmindedly. Then, MC felt something. The ground below them was shaking ever so slightly. Her blood ran cold and she looked up to Lucas and Gary, only to meet their worried gazes as well. 

“Did you guys feel that?” Lucas whispered silently and both MC and Gary nodded at him, eyes widening at the realization. The four of them ran to Lottie, who was still puzzled with the rope situation.

“Can you hurry up? Something’s coming!” Gary whispered to Lottie, whose face turned pale at the statement. Gary took out his shotgun, getting ready to shoot in case they had to fight rather than flee. Sweat droplets were forming on his forehead as he looked on forward, aiming. 

Lottie tried to look for a perfect tree and finally found one sturdy looking enough. She began to tie it around the tree, cursing under her breath as whatever was hunting them was coming closer and closer. MC and Lucas could already see something moving on the horizon. They furrowed their eyes, trying to see whatever it was. It was fast, probably the same thing that had dragged Bobby away. A familiar panic started to rise in MC’s chest as she re-lived that moment again in her head. The voice in her head was no longer soft and calming, but shouting in panic. 

That thing was approaching fast. Lottie was fumbling with the rope. This didn’t look good. MC’s was starting to panic, having difficulties with breathing. Lucas noticed that, and pulled MC closer protectively. MC wondered whether she should take out her knife. Well, whatever that thing was, it was probably faster than her reflexes to stab it. MC was frozen in place, subconsciously fidgeting closer to Lucas. Chelsea was just staring at the creature, an empty look on her face, as if she was just waiting for her imminent death and had accepted it. MC peered at her worriedly, trying to say something, but her words stuck to her throat.

They could now see the creature. It was like a wolf, but much bigger, and it changed between running on his four and two legs. It limbs were unnaturally long and it’s claws and teeth sharp. It was groaning and screaming, making the whole ground shake

“Lottie, are you ready?!” Gary shouted, keeping his eyes on the beast, ready to shoot.

“No!” Lottie screamed back, sounding like she was about to cry or pass out. 

“Fuck!” Gary cussed and begun to aim at the creature. He took a deep breath, steadying his aim, before shooting a bullet towards the creature. The bang was loud and MC saw in slo-mo how to bullet made its way towards the creature. Closer… Closer.. Closer. And sinking into its fur and skin, causing it to yelp and scream in pain. Sadly, it didn’t stop it. The creature seemed even more angered, running towards Gary in particular, ignoring everything else. It’s first goal was to make sure Gary had to pay for hurting it. Gary froze, looking at the creature, his arms shaking, loading the gun again. 

Gary’s eyes met the creature’s, and before Gary could shoot it again, it swiped Gary with its sharp nails. Gary yelled in pain, his shotgun pried away from his hands, stumbling backwards, the edge starting to give away under his weight. Gary’s hands wailed around as he tried to balance himself. MC could see three wounds across his chest. They were bleeding, soaking Gary’s shirt red. His shirt was ripped with the swipe. MC’s world was in slo-mo again as she watched frozen as Gary started to fall off the cliff.

“Gary!!” Lottie screamed, abandoned the rope with tears in her eyes and grabbed Gary’s hand, trying to pull him back, but instead they both ended up falling down the cliff together, hand in hand. MC screamed after them, her eyes widened in panic. Then, she heard a shot. She turned around to face the creature again. Lucas was still holding her close, trembling. MC looked at Chelsea and saw her holding the shotgun with a determined look on her face. She had shot the creature while MC was too distracted to see what was happening with Lottie and Gary.

“That’s for killing Henrik!” Chelsea screamed and loaded the shotgun quickly, aiming and shooting again, “That’s for hurting Gary!” She yelled and the bullet met the creature’s chest, “That’s for killing Bobby!” The next bullet also met its chest, but a different point, “And that’s for everything else you’ve done with my friends, you.. Bad boy!” The creature looked hurt by Chelsea calling him a bad boy before Chelsea shot it in the head. The creature’s eyes went blank and it was bleeding excessively as it finally fell down, defeated. Dead. Chelsea had killed the creature. Chelsea didn’t reload the gun anymore and her eyes were watery. Lucas and MC stared at Chelsea in disbelief as she started to tremble, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t want to kill anyone!” Chelsea screamed and tried to approach the creature.

“What are you doing, Chelsea?! We need to go!” Lucas screamed and ran to Chelsea, grabbing her and running back to MC with her. Lucas grabbed MC too just as they heard a deep rumble, “Fuck! Did it not die or is that just a normal post mortem reaction? I don’t know monster physiology!” Lucas screamed and didn’t take chances. He ran towards the edge, protecting MC’s and Chelsea’s heads as he jumped down the cliff with holding the girls tightly next to him, waiting for the impact to come. MC and Chelsea screamed loudly.

“Lottie and Gary, we’re coming! Please be alive!” MC screamed on top of her lungs before a loud crash could be heard as they landed down. 

~*~ 

[???]  
[Jakub]

Jakub woke up to a strong bounding in his head. He groaned, opening his eyes, but it was still dark. He tried blinking, but the darkness didn’t go away. Had he gone blind? Soon he realized that it wasn’t the case as he started to finally see some shapes, he was just in such a dark room.. He tried to move, but his hands and legs were tied up. Was he.. Was he on a bed? It felt like it. And this all felt like just a really kinky little game, but he hadn’t given his consent to be knocked out by some ugly monsters and waking up tied up like this. 

He tried to thrash around, but whatever bound him was strong. He heard some muffled noises from behind the door. The door creaked open, an ugly monster peering in and quickly closing it after it noticed that Jakub was awake. Jakub heard loud footsteps running away, wondering what had just happened. He waited in the darkness, unable to do anything. He wondered whether anyone else got away, whether Henrik and the group that went to look for him were spared or not. He didn’t have much time to think before the door creaked open again and a dim light was turned on above him. He quickly looked at the person that came in, scared for his life. He breathed a sigh of relief when it was only Ulrike. 

“Oh thank God it’s you, Ulrike, are you here to save me?” Jakub smiled and his cheeks blushed red when he saw what Ulrike was wearing. That was probably one of the sexiest pieces on lingerie he had ever seen. He couldn’t help but get a little excited, there was just something so irresistible about Ulrike. 

“You could say that… I guess.” Ulrike chuckled and walked next to the bed, kneeling down and running her fingers down Jakub’s jaw line. She saw Jakub’s body already reacting to her touch and couldn’t help but smirk, “Good boy…” She praised Jakub.

“Well, get me out of here, then! We can have fun afterwards! I need to help my friends!” Jakub said sternly, trying to have some control of his lust-hazed mind, but his body was betraying him, remembering all of those great times with Ulrike, all of her touches, how she had felt around him.. 

“Aw, I’d rather have some fun right now, babe..” Ulrike smiled and licked her lips seductively, climbing to the bed and sitting right on Jakub’s hardening manhood, grinding against it softly, only clothes separating them. Jakub’s body reacted to her touch right away.

“We can’t! I’m kidnapped by some monsters!” Jakub gritted his teeth, trying to fight off his dirty thoughts and expanding need. 

“Be careful who you call monsters! I didn’t call YOUR pitiful friends monsters!” Ulrike gasped and stuck out her tongue playfully at shocked Jakub, before moving away a little and starting to undress herself seductively. She ran her and up and down here body, occasionally massaging her breasts in front of Jakub, teasing him. Jakub gulped loudly at the sight, but couldn’t look away. Her moved were hypnotic.

“But.. I need to.. Leave..” Jakub tried to protest weakly while staring at Ulrike’s bare body. Ulrike’s hands soon found their way into Jakub’s underwear and started to pump his aching member, first slowly and teasingly, increasing in speed before descending his pants and underwear down to his ankles. Jakub closed his eyes in pleasure and his hips arched upwards with every movement. 

“You don’t need to leave, hun. You’re safe here with me.. Don’t worry about your friends too much.. Most of them are probably already dead.. But you’re safe here with me..” Ulrike bit her lip seductively before putting Jakub’s member in her mouth, starting to bob her head up and down around Jakub’s large penis. 

“What? D… Dead? No, that.. Can’t be.. True..” Jakub gasped and tried to regain control of his body, but couldn’t. He was too far in. His body belonged fully to Ulrike. Ulrike just looked at him with a sadistic twinkle in her eyes while continuing to suck him off. That went on for a while, Jakub trying to make up coherent sentences while his body was growing more and more exhausted, “Don’t hurt.. My friends.. Who are.. You? What are.. You?” He moaned and groaned, feeling close to orgasming. He came while crying, shooting his load deep into Ulrike’s mouth. Ulrike smiled and got up, positioning her opening next to Jakub’s still post-orgasm aching dick. 

“Oh, who I am? I’m Ulrike, obviously,” she smirked while lowering herself down, moaning when she felt Jakub stretching her deliciously, “But what am I? Wouldn’t you like to know?” She chuckled, having lowered herself fully onto Jakub’s penis. She started to ride him rhythmically, her firm boobs jiggling erotically. She moaned, looking down at Jakub with hungry eyes. 

Jakub was in seventh heaven. His body was on fire, just like it always felt like with Ulrike. His mind was hazy, and he couldn’t get enough. Sex with Ulrike was addicting and probably the best sex he had ever had in his life. And he has had a lot of sex. Still, in the back of his mind, he felt a guilty pang. What had happened to his friends? He closed his eyes, losing himself in the moment for a while. The room was filled with moans and groans and occasionally Ulrike would say something dirty to Jakub with her adorable Swedish accent. 

“You’re.. not a human..” Jakub groaned and Ulrike stopped riding him just for a second. Jakub opened his eyes, feeling Ulrike’s piercing eyes on him. Ulrike looked down at him, almost angrily, before starting to ride him faster and harder than before, almost in an inhuman speed. 

“Ding, ding, ding! Ten points to Jakub!” She laughed, her words like poison, “I’m not some kind of pathetic human. I’m something better. Far better.” She grinned and ran her hand under Jakub’s shirt, feeling his muscles. 

“What do you.. Want from me? From.. Us?” Jakub asked, sweating and nearly frozen by the amount of pleasure he was feeling. He swore he was seeing stars.. 

“What I want from humans? To die, specifically. But I want from something very different from you, my dear..” Ulrike laughed and scratched Jakub’s chest passionately, leaving behind red marks. Jakub couldn’t hold back anymore, but came inside Ulrike with a lustful yell. Ulrike didn’t extract herself, but stayed on top of Jakub while his member was still inside of her. Jakub was panting hard, feeling like his heart was about to burst out of his chest. 

“What do.. You want?” Jakub asked, drenched in sweat and feeling like he is at his limit. Despite this, Ulrike started to ride him slowly again. He couldn’t even say yes or no. His body and mind were too fried to process what was going on.

“I want you to marry me..” Ulrike smiled sweetly and Jakub felt like someone had thrown cold water on him, his eyes opening wide. Did he hear her correctly?

“Marry you? What the fuck?” Jakub asked in disbelief and tried to free himself from his bindings. It was no use. Ulrike chuckled at his pathetic thrashing and picked up some speed.

“Yes, you heard me right. I need you to marry me. Let’s just run away and elope.” Ulrike grinned and bit her lip, touching her body all over in front of Jakub’s eyes. 

“You need me to.. Marry you? That doesn’t even.. make any sense..” Jakub groaned and he felt his cock pulsating deliciously inside of Ulrike. 

“Oh yeah.. I promise I’ll let your friends leave, if you marry me.. But this offer is up only for today!” She giggled and rode him harder, whispering Jakub’s name.

“I can’t marry.. you! You’re not.. A human!” Jakub panted and wanted to desperately wipe his forehead from sweat. It was going all over his eyes and mouth.

“Of course you can.. We could be happy together! We’ll have mind blowing sex every day, I cold bear you some beautiful kids and you’d have the most gorgeous wife to show off to everyone..” Ulrike chuckled darkly.

“That’s not what.. I want from life..” Jakub tried to protest. For him, his career was the most important. He didn’t want many kids and a normal domestic life. That was not his style.

“Well, too bad, shouldn’t have messed with me then..” Ulrike said darkly and picked up more speed, riding Jakub fast and hard. Suddenly Jakub noticed something concerning about Ulrike’s appearance. Something that he had never noticed before. He had totally been under her spell, and now that it was starting to wear off, he finally saw her for who she actually was.

Ulrike had a cow’s tail. 

“What the fuck! You have a tail! Cow!” Jakub screamed bloody murder and couldn’t help but stare at the tail. Ulrike’s eyes saw red and she started to ride Jakub at such a speed that Jakub felt like his heart was about to stop. True angry sex.

“What did you say about me, you plebeian! That’s not a proper way to talk to a lady!” Ulrike yelled demonically and kept up the speed, riding Jakub like a wild animal, scratching bloody marks all over his body. Jakub screamed in pain and pleasure. 

“I’m not gonna marry a cow!” Jakub shouted back, his whole body unbearably hot and throbbing, aching. Ulrike glared daggers at Jakub, not pitying him even though he looked like he was about to explode in many ways.

“I’ll give you one. last. chance. Either you marry me and all your dumb little friends will be free to leave, or I’m going to kill you with my own bare hands.” Ulrike hissed, refusing to stop or slow down.

“I’m never going to marry you, you monster!” Jakub screamed at the same time as he came. This time it was painful, as it was the third time in a short span of time. Ulrike froze for a second before getting up from the bed, eyes cold. Jakub’s semen was running down her inner thighs, “How are you gonna kill me with your bare hands? I don’t think you look that strong..” Jakub huffed, feeling finally free now that Ulrike wasn’t bouncing on him anymore.

“Oh, you’ll be surprised..” Ulrike frowned angrily and took Jakub’s head into her hands. Her nails grew sharper and longer magically, and she started to push her hands and nails together around Jakub’s head. Jakub felt an awful, excruciating pain and started to scream, begging Ulrike to stop. She didn’t. It didn’t even take her two seconds more until Jakub skull just blew up, sending blood flying on the walls and on Ulrike. She grinned sadistically. As a last straw, she decapitated Jakub’s mushed up face with one clean rip, putting it on the bed’s nightstand as a trophy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye, Mr. Jabinski! How are you feeling after this chapter? A lot happened in this chapter!
> 
> I loved writing the first part so much! I found that poem while researching information for my bachelor's thesis and have loved it ever since. The translation is not obviously perfect or professional, but it does create the core idea of the poem.. That was some older Swedish, too! It was more difficult to translate than modern Swedish! I can tell you that much even though I'm a history major and have thus encountered some old Swedish before..


	15. Another One Bites the Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of the fall. More information on the monsters playing with lives of the islanders. A new area gets investigated, what kind of secrets may be waiting down there?

[Bunker]  
[Bobby, Jo, Ibrahim, Henrik]

Bobby started to stir in his sleep as he heard quiet voices near him, discussing something with muffled voices. For a while he just laid there, listening in on the conversation, trying to figure out what was being talked about. He didn’t really want to get up as it felt for the first time in a while that he had a moment to breathe. 

After laying there with his eyes closed for a while, he decided to pretend to wake up, slowly stirring in his sleep and moving around more, signifying waking up. The voices quieted down as he opened his eyes. Henrik was pointing something from a large book to Jo and Ibrahim with a serious expression. 

“Slept well, Bobs? Did you see any dreams?” Jo greeted him and the others turned to look at him as well. Bobby thought for a while. Did he see any dreams? 

“Not that I can remember.. I was totally exhausted!” Bobby laughed and sat up, stretching carefully. His wounds ached, but they were certainly healing and getting better. 

“Liar! You kept mumbling something about MC!” Henrik grinned and winked at Bobby. Bobby was confused for a while, blushing slightly. What kind of dreams did he exactly have and why didn’t he remember them? 

“I really don’t remember, I swear!” Bobby swore, unable to contain his blushing, “I guess my subconscious mind misses her just as much as my conscious mind..” He sighed and wondered about her again. Where was she? Was she alive? Was she well? Was she still with the group? Has she been attacked after the last time? He couldn’t wait to see her again.

“And we lost him again.. He must really miss MC…” Ibrahim sighed as he realized that Bobby was in his own little world again, “Hey Henrik, you don’t know what we found in Bobby’s rucksack! A wedding ring. Can you hear the wedding bells ringing already?” He whispered to Henrik while grinning.

“No way! That’s awesome! I hope it works out for them,” Henrik smiled, genuinely happy for his friends. He thought about it harder and frowned, “I do feel a little bad for Lucas, I can’t lie. He’s been pining after MC for quite a while, even if he only broke up with Hannah like a few days ago..” Henrik sighed.

“I understand.. But MC is Bobby’s girl and has been his girl ever since their time in the Villa. I think they’re really great for each other.” Ibrahim responded, smiling while remembering their time in the Love Island Villa. 

“Yeah, I think so too. I’m just partially inclined to point that out as Lucas is my best pal.” Henrik smiled sadly. 

“What about you and Chelsea? Are you going to propose any time soon?” Jo laughed and licked her lips like a lizard. Henrik’s cheeks reddened. 

“Not yet, but maybe in the future. I’m still just as into her as I was after we left the Villa.” Henrik explained where his head was at, causing both Ibrahim and Jo to smile warmly, “So, what about you guys? Any plans ahead in the future?” Henrik asked.

“We have been talking about moving in together, but our jobs require a lot of traveling so we haven’t decided where to settle down yet.” Ibrahim explained and Jo nodded, confirming Ibrahim’s words. 

“I’m both scared and excited about the thought of moving in with Chelsea.. I’m scared that all of our rooms will be pink and full of her quirky quotes, but at the same time I trust her judgement regarding decorating. She actually does have a good eye when she doesn’t get too carried away!” Henrik explained, smiling while thinking about her other half. The trio looked at each other before sighing contently in unison.

“It really is great to talk about future plans like this.. Gives me hope that we all will get out of here together..” Jo smiled solemnly. Ibrahim and Henrik nodded in agreement.

“I know what you mean.. I just feel so bad that our trip turned out like this.. I feel responsible. I planned everything, I really tried my best, but.. Nothing worked out the way I wanted.” Henrik laughed sadly and looked down.

“It’s not your fault, mate! None of us could’ve predicted this. And I still think that this idea was rad.” Ibrahim encouraged his friend on, patting his back like a coach. Henrik smiled dryly back at him, still seemingly really worried. 

Bobby stood up from the bed, ready to move on from his daydreams about MC, “So what were you guys talking about before I woke up? Did I miss some goss?” He asked and joined the group. Henrik had bunch of books next to him on the table and Ibrahim had the diary opened in front of him.

“Oh yeah! Well, I found this diary…” Ibrahim began and told about the girl that got accidentally pregnant, ran away into this bunker, gave birth alone and accidentally killed her baby, descending into madness after that. Bobby stared at Ibrahim, horrified after what he had to hear.

“That sounds horrible! I feel so bad for her..” Bobby frowned, his natural need to help everyone and fix everything nagging at him for not being able to help this girl who had died way before he was even born. Ibrahim nodded at Bobby, agreeing with his statement.

“All of those emotions and psychological scarring.. It makes me wonder whether she was already emotionally unstable before everything went down or not.. And whatever happened to her! She just stopped writing one day and never picked up the pen again!” Jo bit her lip anxiously, furrowing her brows.

“We may never know now..” Bobby sighed deeply, figuring out that the girl in the pictures must be the same girl that wrote the diary, “What did you find, Henrik?” he turned to Henrik that had looked through the books in Swedish.

“A lot of interesting information, actually! I’m pretty sure that the other group probably couldn’t understand this as everything was in Swedish.. I can’t help but feel bad for them as we have plenty of important information here.” Henrik smiled and took one of the books into his hands, showing the cover to Bobby. It had some weird creatures on it, dancing in the forest. 

“So, give me a brief explanation about what you found out!” Bobby demanded and Henrik nodded, thinking about what he should say for a while. 

“Okay, so most of these books were about Scandinavian mythology, like different Gods, Goddesses and monsters. She seemed to have a deeper interest into some of these monstrous creatures, it seems.. She wrote a lot of notes on these creatures called ‘ _Myling_ ’. _Mylingar_ are these phantasmal incarnations of the souls of unbaptized children that had been forced to roam the earth until they could persuade someone to bury them properly in holy soil. They come into existence when a child is killed by its mother.. I think the writer of this diary might have been afraid or even thought that her child turned into one of these. She seemed very paranoid about these things, writing how ‘He will come back to haunt me’ and ‘I can hear him calling for me during the night’..” Henrik explained with a frown. Bobby nodded along. The emotional despair and torture that the woman must have gone through sounded enormous.

“Okay.. Were there any other important monsters we should be aware of? I somehow doubt that the creature that dragged me away was some kind of ghost baby..” Bobby laughed nervously, imagining himself being dragged through forest by Casper the Friendly Ghost.

“Yeah, for sure! Well, she had written some notes about trolls.. I think those might have been the creatures that attacked the cottage,” Henrik explained and showed Bobby a picture of the depiction of trolls in the book he was referring to, “And that makes me think that _Huldras_ might be also related to this whole thing. Huldras are these seductive forest creatures, kinda known as maidens of the forest. They are high up there in the natural hierarchy of forest creatures. They are considered to be ‘sinful’ and unfit for Heaven, so their main goal is to purge themselves off of their sins by getting married to a human man. It is said that once the priest blesses a marriage between a Huldra and human man, Huldra will be able to become clean. Huldras can be both good and bad. They are known to have killed men by exhausting them to death with sex and with their sheer strength. They can apparently hypnotize and hex men into wanting them.. Huldras look like beautiful human women other than that they have a cow or a fox tail, depending on which mythology you look at. You should never mention about her tail if you see one though, as she will get really angry. You should instead warn them about their tail showing with a euphemism, like ‘Excuse me miss, but your petticoat is showing’ or something.” Henrik continued his story, having apparently accumulated a lot of information on these huldras.

“Sheer strength? I wonder what that means.. Are they like able to rip someone’s head off?” Ibrahim wondered out loud, touching his neck protectively. 

“Probably? It’s said that they can bend metal..” Henrik sighed and bit the inside of his cheek, “Then there’s obviously _näcken,_ that I’ve mentioned before. I don’t think I really got any new information on them from his lady, my great-grandmother Ida really knew what she was talking about!” Henrik laughed and showed a drawn picture of näcken. It had greyish-blue skin, long and dark nails, long, straight black hair and it’s hands and feet were webbed, “Other than that, there are a whole lot of other forest and water creatures, but they are not like, the bosses. Näcken usually lead the water creatures and Huldras the forest creatures.” He shrugged, closing the book. 

“That’s a whole lot of new information.. Do you think that these creatures could actually be real? And like, behind the recent events? But who sent MC those messages? Ugh, this is all so confusing..” Bobby rubbed his temples, trying to figure out which information is important to remember and which is not. 

“It is said that these creatures are most active during the Midsummer week, so it’s possible.. I didn’t find any information on the wolf-creature really, so I suspect it’s just one of Huldras minions. But now we know that we have to be worried of multiple things.. And we also do know what we’re up against better than before!” Henrik smiled dryly.

“Do.. Do you think that Ulrike is.. That thing.. Huldra? You said before that you didn’t trust her story..” Bobby whispered, kind of worried about the answer.

“Maybe.. But we need to see if she has a tail or not before we can make any judgements..” Henrik exclaimed. 

“Yeah, just go up to her a be like ‘Yo, show me your tail girl!’” Bobby chuckled, and Henrik looked at him with a horrified expression.

“What did I just say before! Never mention the tail in front of a Huldra. It’ll offend them!” Henrik gasped and frowned at Bobby for forgetting such an important fact.

“Yeah okay, I’m sorry.. I just tried to be funny..” Bobby pouted, crossing his arms while pretending to sulk.

“It’s not gonna be funny when she rips off your head as if she was ripping an old bandage off..” Ibrahim pointed out with a grimace. 

“I got it, I got it! So no mentioning the tail, yeah..” Bobby vowed the others with a careful smile, and they just nodded sternly. 

“Good. We really have to be careful with these creatures. They are not human. Some of them even resent people. I remember my great-grandmother Ida telling me that nature takes care of you whichever way you take care of it. If you hurt nature by littering, hunting for fun or disrespecting animals, they’ll find a way to pay it back eventually..” He explained, still looking stern and thoughtful.

“Is there still something we need to investigate here or should we get a move on now that we have an idea that MC and her group might actually be alive?” Jo questioned. Henrik look at the books, flipping their pages absentmindedly. He ran into the hand-drawn map. He picked it up and rotated it his hands, wondering what it could mean.. He lifted it against the light and saw a short message that was otherwise almost impossible to see.

_‘Hud ruttnar och muskler förlorar men benen bevaras’_

“Wait! There’s a secret message..” Henrik gasped and looked at the sentence, trying to figure out who was it written by, when and why.

“What does it say? Is it written by one of our friends?” Bobby asked hurriedly and tried to see the text. 

“I don’t think so.. It’s in Swedish. Unless one of them took a quick course in the Swedish language, then it’s not written by any of them..” Henrik sighed and furrowed his eyebrows, “It means: Skin rots and muscles are lost but bones remain’.. Huh..” Henrik explained and put the map back from where he took it. 

“Well, that doesn’t sound creepy at all..” Ibrahim sighed and shook his head while frowning. 

“It’s just.. Weird. How long has this been here? Did the young mother write this before she died, or..?” Henrik thought about it, but couldn’t quite figure it out. 

“Ugh, now I’m getting the heebie-jeebies.. Can we please just leave now?” Jo bit her lip anxiously and the boys turned to look at him. Henrik nodded and went on to put the books back in the bookcase. Bobby decided to take MC’s lone sock with him just in case they’ll run into each other.. Or that at least he had some kind of memoir of her. The group climbed up the ladder into the forest air again, more hopeful and determined than before.

At the same time as they exited, they heard some loud bangs, as if from a shotgun. The group listened intently. Then, there was a feminine scream piercing through the air. Bobby’s head shot up as he listened to the scream, eyes wide open.

“That sounded like MC!” Bobby yelled and tried to run towards the sound, but his right ankle betrayed him and he fell face flat to the ground, “MC!” He screamed, getting up and he would’ve started running again in Ibrahim hadn’t stopped him. 

“You can’t run. We’ll go towards the sound, but you can’t run in your current condition..” Ibrahim sighed, a heavy hand on Bobby’s shoulder. 

“But she screamed! She might be in trouble! And you heard those shots! What if one of our friends was shot?!” Bobby protested, ignoring the pain he was feeling in his ankle. 

“Maybe they shot something. We don’t know what happened. But we should still be careful.. It sounds like there’s trouble nearby..” Jo whispered and looked around for any signs of danger. 

“Let’s follow the sound..” Henrik ordered and started to walk towards the direction they had heard the sounds from. The rest of the group nodded, following his lead. Bobby wanted to run there so bad, but Ibrahim was still keeping a close eye on him and his ankle was having a protest of its own. 

“MC… We’re coming.. Just please, please, please be alive..” Bobby mumbled, looking up to the sky for a second, silently praying and begging for God or whatever was up there to spare his lass.

They walked for another ten minutes, trying to listen if they heard any other sounds, but everything seemed quiet. That lit a lot of worries and fear within the group. Just some minutes ago they were almost certain that the other group is still alive, but now they weren’t as positive. Bobby felt like his heart was breaking every step he took and every second that went without any further sounds. 

The Earth shook. Why on earth did the Earth shook? They all froze, worried. Maybe some other creatures had heard the commotion and decided to investigate and now they were about to run into that said creature. Ibrahim got his baseball bat ready, shaking. Henrik took out his machete with a determined look on his face. Bobby and Jo stayed behind them.

“Shouldn’t we run away while we still can?” Jo whispered and was trembling all over.

“We have Bobby, remember. We wouldn’t be able to outrun anything with him barely being able to walk normally..” Ibrahim sighed and tried to look strong and brave with his baseball bat, but in reality he looked like a 6-year-old scared little boy in the beginning of his first competitive baseball game in front of an audience.

“I’m sorry.. You guys just run ahead.. I don’t want to be a burden..” Bobby sighed and thought about his options.. He could try and hide.. Or then just take one for the team. If MC was dead now, there wasn’t any reason for him to go on either..

“What are you talking about, you silly! We are not going to leave you behind! We’re in this together. We’re a family.” Henrik growled, his eyes peeled for their enemy. 

“But.. I don’t want you to be in trouble because of me..” Bobby bit his lip and wondered if there was any way he could help his friends.

Then they saw it in the distance. It was one of the trolls. It was the troll that had the axe. 

“Oh look, it’s our old friend..” Jo gritted her teeth, her body obviously screaming for her to run away, but she stayed put. 

“Wasn’t looking forward seeing him again..” Ibrahim sighed and tried to concentrate. His whole body was rigid and trembling, his eyes were wide and sweat drops were forming on his dark forehead. 

“Okay, get ready.. This is a battle for our lives. It said in the books that trolls can be easily distracted, so if nothing works out, Jo and Bobby, try to distract the troll. It weaks spots are it’s head, throat and chest, like with any living being pretty much..” Henrik briefed them, not tearing his eyes away from their target.

The ugly troll seemingly finally noticed the group as it started to sprint towards them. It was somewhat taller than Ibrahim, but he could still probably reach his head if he tried. The troll ran towards the group, growing and wielding his axe. Bobby felt his body tensing up, getting ready to endure a painful death. He saw Ibrahim shaking and Henrik.. Wait? Where did Henrik go? Bobby looked around but couldn’t see him. What kind of ninja was he? Did he abandon them at the last moment?

“Ibrahim, attack!” Jo shouted, but Ibrahim stayed put, paralyzed by his fear. He started to mutter something in panic to himself, shaking his head and trembling violently. Jo sighed and grabbed the baseball bat, running towards the monster while screaming, ready to hit him anywhere she could.. 

When she was hit by an axe through her left side. It didn’t pierce through her abdomen, but it was enough power to send their flying against a large oak tree next to her. An awful crash could be heard with the side dish of cracking bones.

“Jo!” Ibrahim screamed and tried to run to her, but Bobby stopped him.

“You can’t go there! You’re gonna be killed! We have to run and hide! There’s no other choice!” Bobby screamed, tears welling in his eyes and he looked at the motionless body of Jo, crimson blood seeping through her side and face.. He was about to run and drag Ibrahim with him, when he saw sudden movement from above. 

Henrik jumped down the tree, his machete ready. He first stabbed the troll right through his head as he landed on his shoulders. To finish him off, he slipped his machete through its neck. The monster stayed up for a while until a loud gurgling sound emitted from its mouth and it fell to the ground, motionless. Henrik was breathing heavily, his whole face drained of color. He ran straight to Jo, turning her body around and feeling for pulse. He furrowed his brows and frowned, turning his head to Ibrahim and Bobby, sorrowfully shaking his head.

“Jo!! Jo!” Ibrahim screamed again and ran to Jo, taking her lifeless and limp body into his arms, breaking into desperate tears. He shouted, screamed, wailed and called out for her name, shaking violently and gasping for air. Bobby sat next to him, placing a consoling hand on his shoulder while letting his own tears fall. 

Jo was gone. Just like that. She had taken a chance at saving everyone but ended up brutally killed by a monster. Brave till the end. 

“If only had I been faster..” Henrik cussed at himself and looked angry, more towards himself than anyone else.

“No.. I was a coward.. It’s my fault..” Ibrahim muttered silently as he held her body close. His clothes were now soaked in her blood, but he didn’t mind. He just wanted to have Jo close. He could feel her body cooling down in his arms. 

“How much are they going to take from us until they’re satisfied..?” Bobby sighed deeply and sobbed silently, “This must all be some type of a cruel prank..” 

~*~

[Forest]  
[MC, Lucas, Lottie, Gary & Chelsea]

 _“Hud ruttnar och muskler förlorar men benen bevaras…”_ A sorrowful voice called out.

There was a painful pounding in her head. Everything was dark. Pain was taking over her body. She heard a loud, high-pitched sound in her ears, drowning any other sounds.. Until she heard something else, too. A sob. And another. And a voice calling from somewhere. What was all of this? Why was she breathing? Why is her body all tender and aching?

MC slowly opened her eyes, looking up to the sky and trees. She was laying on the ground, having landed into some type of a bush that she had went through right away when she fell, but it had slowed her fall a little bit. Her vision had some white dots on the corners and that piercing sound was still there.. She tried her best to sit up, managing after a few tries. She held her head, looking around herself.

Lucas was lying on the ground next to her. Chelsea was on his other side. They both seemed to be unconscious, but they were still breathing. Then she saw the cause of that loud sobbing. It was Lottie, sitting next to Gary. Gary was still laying down on the ground, bleeding. Lottie was rummaging through her rucksack and took out the first aid kit while crying and shaking. 

“Lottie..” MC called out. Lottie didn’t seem to notice her as she took out some bandages. MC groaned and stood up with trembling feet, walking next to Lottie and Gary. MC looked at Gary with worry. He’s wounds from earlier were still bleeding a little and his face was pale from loss of blood. MC put her hand above his mouth to test if he was still breathing.

Positive.

Gary was still alive. A relief wash through MC’s body. Lottie still didn’t pay any attention to her, instead removing Gary’s shirt and started to bandage his chest. When she noticed that there wasn’t enough of it for his broad chest, she took one of her shirts out of her rucksack and broke that into long strips to work as makeshift bandages. MC looked at Lottie. She had some scratches all over her body and she had a black eye. Luckily she wasn’t bleeding. 

When MC had determined that Lottie was relatively fine and taking care of Gary, she walked next to Lucas and Chelsea. She first turned Chelsea around as she had landed on her face. Her face was bloody, but it was mostly from her nose.. Her poor nose. She wondered if it was broken.. Chelsea was breathing fine, though she sounded like she was in the world of pain as she let out small painful yelps here and there. 

Lastly MC went up to Lucas. His head seemed to be bleeding a little. MC opened her own rucksack and took out one of her shirts, trying to block the bleeding with it. It seemed to work and the bleeding ceased after a while. Other than that and some scratches, Lucas seemed okay. He was breathing normally. 

MC looked at the cliff and couldn’t believe they had just fallen down from there. She wondered whether the beast was now dead. She also thought about Chelsea’s snapping and how that had probably saved them all.. She didn’t know Chelsea had that in her. She was probably so hurt after what happened to Henrik, poor thing.. 

Suddenly, Lucas started to stir next to her, slowly opening his eyes. When he saw MC’s worried face above him, he couldn’t help but smile at her. He tried to sit up, but was stopped by a throbbing in his head. MC showed him her bloody shirt that she had used to stop the bleeding. 

“Your head was bleeding, so I used my shirt to stop it.. It should be better how, but you should take it easy..” MC explained and Lucas looked at him with surprised eyes, lips slightly parted.

“You must be some kind of angel..” He sighed and touched his head, sighing, “How are the others? Are they okay?” He quickly asked, remembering that it wasn’t only about them two.

“Everyone is alive.. Chelsea is still knocked out, Lottie is taking care of Gary and Gary.. Well, he doesn’t look too hot, but he’s still breathing fine.” MC explained and looked around to see the other members of the group. Lottie seemed to have calmed down a little, and she only sat there, holding Gary’s hand with an empty expression. 

“That’s good to hear.. How are you feeling?” Lucas asked MC with a worried expression.

“I’m okay. I was the second one to wake up after Lottie, so I think I’m fine. Like, my body is aching and head throbbing, but I don’t think I’m bleeding or anything..” She answered and Lucas forced himself up despite the dizziness, looking at the back of MC’s head. 

“Yeah, no bleeding here.” Lucas confirmed and allowed his hand to run through MC’s hair, disguising it as checking the back of her head for wounds.

“I can’t believe we just fell from there.. That was so scary..” MC sighed and looked up to the cliff again, a frown present on her beautiful features.

“Yeah.. Sorry about dragging you along, but I was just so afraid that the beast was waking up..” Lucas apologized and MC just nodded at him.

“It’s fine. I get your reasoning. You did it out of instinct and quick calculations. Don’t blame yourself for anything.” MC smiled at him softly and looked deep into his eyes before turning her gaze away, looking somewhere off. Lucas couldn’t help but smile at her antics, she was just way too adorable.. 

“Ow..” Chelsea yelped suddenly and opened her large blue eyes, looking around with a pout of her face. When MC noticed that her friend was awake, she immediately went to her and smiled brightly.

“Chels! You’re awake! How are you feeling?” MC quickly asked, taking ahold of Chelsea’s hand at giving it a gentle squeeze. Chelsea smiled at her weakly, sitting up slowly.

“I’m okay. Wel, mostly. I just feel so bad about shooting that thing, I didn’t want to hurt it..” Chelsea sighed sadly, hanging her head. MC gasper at her.

“If you hadn’t shot it, we would most likely be dead ourselves!” MC exclaimed and Chelsea looked at her with sad eyes.

“I know, but I don’t like killing things.. I even feel bad when my Sims characters die..” She explained with a sorrowful and guilty tone.

“I get you.. But you saved us all, Chelsea! I didn’t know you had it in you!” MC beamed at her, hugging her friend softly. Chelsea froze for a second before hugging her friend back.

“I didn’t know it either..” Chelsea whispered and hugged her friend, slowly starting to feel a bit better about herself and what she had done. They stayed there, hugging and holding each other for a few minutes until they hear a loud, deep groan. They whipped around, alerted. Was a monster nearby?

“Agh.. My chest..” Gary groaned as he woke up, his face twisting with pain. He tried to sit up, but it was futile and he fell back to the ground, hissing. 

“Gary! Oh thank goodness you woke up! I was worried sick about you..” Lottie sniffed and kissed Gary’s hand. 

“Fucking hell man.. What happened?” Gary blinked and looked like he was thinking hard about something.

“You shot that creature, but not fatally. It got angrier and clawed your chest. You lost your balance because of that and fell down the cliff. Lottie tried to help you but she ended up falling down with you. Then Chelsea shot the creature multiple times and it looked like it died.. But after that it did make a sound which alerted me so much that I grabbed both MC and Chelsea and jumped down after you not to take any chances.” Lucas explained at Gary.

“Chels.. You shot the creature? Holy hell… You out of all the people?” Gary chucked but silenced down quickly because it felt painful. Chelsea blushed and bit her lip nervously.

“I just got so angry at it.. For hurting Henrik, Bobby and you! I’m glad you’re still alive..” Chelsea said quietly and looked at the ground.

“We all are glad. I really thought that you were a goner when I saw you falling down..” MC sighed and smiled sadly at Gary.

“Me too.. I was so scared.. My whole heart was breaking and my world was crumbling down..” Lottie admitted with a sniff, quickly wiping her eyes.

“Aww, you’re all so sweet.. But yes, I feel very lucky to be alive, although the pain is a lot to take in..” Gary grinned and tried to sit up again, this time managing with the help of Lottie, “You batched me up, Lotta? Thanks, babe!” Gary smiled when he noticed the bandages and Lottie just nodded humbly, smiling just a little.

“What should we do next?” Chelsea questioned quietly. 

“I think Gary needs some more time to heal, so I think we need to stay relatively put. Maybe we could eat and drink something now to get some strength before even thinking about moving..” Lucas sighed and the others nodded. Gary tried to protest by standing up, but couldn’t due to the pain.

“Ugh, okay.. I feel bad for slowing us down, though.. Oh, do we still have the gun?” Gary quickly changed the attention away from himself.

“Yeah!” Chelsea showed the gun to Gary. It was still miraculously in one piece.

“Great! Do you want me to take it or do you feel like shooting up some more monsters?” Gary winked and Chelsea looked horrified.

“I don’t want to kill anything or anyone! I never wanted to!” She yelped sadly and was about to give the gun to Gary, but Lucas took it before Gary could.

“I could hold on to this for the time being. We don’t want Gary to be targeted again anytime soon..” Lucas explained and looked at Gary for permission. The crane operator thought for a while before nodding in approval.

~*~

[Island]  
[Hope, Noah, Marisol, Elisa & Rocco]

The group was staring at the trap door with wide eyes. They weren’t sure whether they should explore it or not. What they had to lose? Their lives. What did they have to gain? Answers and maybe something to help them survive out there. Was it worth it? 

“What do you guys think? Should we go?” Rocco inquired, looking into the darkness and gulped once. 

“Should we split up? Like, if two people stay here and three go and investigate?” Hope suggested, but Marisol shook her head at her.

“Splitting up is a rookie mistake. And I don’t think any of us would voluntarily go down there if there was another option to stay up here..” Marisol rationalized, furrowing her eyebrows.

“That’s true. That’s how the monsters want us to be. In small groups where we’re more vulnerable.” Noah agreed with Marisol, nodding his head. 

“I think we should investigate. Yes, it could be dangerous, but there are so many opportunities as well.. We could find a safe, secret place. Or maybe we could find some clues. Or maybe it’s se secret tunnel that leads us away from this island! We can’t know before we explore.” Elisa declared and smiles bravely at the group. 

“I agree with Elisa. And if something seems to go wrong, we can just return the same way back and block the trap door. Whatever could be out there can’t follow us up here that way.” Marisol pointed out and the others started to whisper. 

“Okay. Let’s go then.” Hope finally muttered and the group started to descend down into the darkness. Rocco was the first one to land, followed by Elisa, Marisol, Hope and lastly Noah. The place felt cold and moist, sending shivers down the islanders’ spines. It was so dark that at first they had to navigate their way by following the stone walls and feeling their way deeper into the tunnel. 

“I don’t feel good about this..” Rocco sighed after he nearly tripped over a stone. 

“None us feel good about anything that’s going on, really..” Elisa responded with sass, taking the lead, “I feel like my eyes have adjusted quite well to the darkness now. It doesn’t feel nearly as dark as before!” she laughed.

“Yeah, same here..” Noah agreed, feeling comfortable enough with the darkness to let go of the wall. 

“I don’t think it’s only our eyes.. I feel like there’s some type of light coming in from up ahead..” Marisol pointed out, trying to figure was was casting some light to the tunnels. They walked for a while, carefully and in complete silence.

They soon arrived at a large and beautiful cave. There were some kind of crystals on the wall and in the middle of the area was an oval shaped pool of water. The water seemed to be clean and fantastically blue, the scene unfolding in front of their eyes nearly looked like from a fairytale. Some light was coming from the pool, illuminating in the crystals and sending many wonderful colors to the walls - hues of blue, purple, gray, pink and green were reflecting from the walls. In the light of those colors the could see some cave paintings.

One of them depicted two women washing their clothes along a body of water, smiling. In the next picture a man appeared in front of the woman, seemingly holding some kind of instrument. In the third photo the women had walked closer to the mysterious player and in the last depiction the creature dragged the woman with him underwater. 

“Wow.. These must be hundreds, maybe even thousands of years old..” Marisol breathed out, impressed by the paintings. 

“Don’t you think that those paintings depict _näcken?_ ” Elisa asked and everyone turned to look at her, “That’s exactly what Henrik told us! Näcken enchants women and children with his playing and singing and then drowns them.” Elisa explained and the others nodded, remembering Henrik’s story. 

There were even more cave paintings in the cave, all somehow related to the topic of water, näcken and other water creatures. Most of them seemed to be warnings of sorts. If you do this, you’ll die. Some of them were helpful though. Apparently if you cast a stone underwater before going for a swim, näcken will leave you to be, for example. 

“Do you think that this water is drinkable? It looks so clean..” Rocco wondered and walked closer to the pool, eyeing the water mesmerized. 

“I guess it’s at least cleaner than lake water, but I’m not sure if I would drink it..” Noah sighed, frowning.

“But I am so very thirsty.. And we still don’t have any other means to get water this clean.. I’ll rather get a little sick and dehydrate to death.” Rocco shrugged, kneeling down next to the pool. Hope joined her, looking into the pool.

“Do you think this connects to the lake? There’s some light coming in..” Hope wondered and touched the surface of the water while smiling. Rocco on the other hand gulped his first handful of water. Everyone looked at him expectantly.

“Tastes like any old water to me..” Rocco commented, going for another sip. And another. He was so thirsty and it seemed like the more he drank, the more thirsty he became. Hope stood up, looking at Rocco unsurely.

Suddenly, as Rocco was reaching for another handful, a hand grabbed his wrist. Rocco screamed in surprise and everyone looked at the hand, mortified. It was white and extremely thin.. Wait. It was just bones. A boney hand had just grabbed Rocco. It didn’t move. It didn’t try to pull Rocco in or try anything funny. It just kind of hung there onto Rocco’s arm, like a sloth hangs in a tree. When Rocco carefully stood up, the hand let go.

“That was so weird..” Elisa whispered. Before she could barely finish her sentence, hundreds of bones started to float to the surface, just floating there in that small pool of water. The water turned crimson in hue, threatening and nauseating. Rocco backed off, looking sick. 

“What happened here?! Did they use to bury people here or what is the deal?” Marisol questioned, picking up one of the smaller bones floating. It desolved into ash in her hands and a sobbing sound echoed through the cave. 

“Maybe these are the bones of the victims of näcken..” Elisa gasped. They inspected the bones more closely. Some of them seemed to be too small to be an adult's bones.. A distant violin playing cold be heard and some of the bones were starting to sink again. The closer the violin came, the more bones disappeared underwater again as if they were afraid of that sound.

“Weren’t violins näcken’s favourite instrument or something?” Hope asked quietly and gasped loudly, “Something’s coming! Look!” She said and pointed at a shadow coming closer from underneath. 

“I think that’s our que to leave!” Noah ordered as the water started to bubble ominously. Everyone nodded and ran into the darkness, back to where they came from. They could hear a huge splash behind them, but didn’t turn to look back. The violin sounded even closer and louder than before. It sounded enchanting, but the group’s fear was overpowering the beauty of the music. 

A melancholic song was left behind in the caves, beckoning for any restless, tortured and romantic soul to come closer. The voice of the singer was smooth and warm, welcoming even, but the words it sang sounded cold and haunting.

_“Vandraren har ingenstans att gå  
när han kommit fram till slutet  
Månen färgar alla skuggor blå  
han är ensam kvar där ute  
Långt där borta från en enslig gård  
lyser värmen ut i natten  
Väcker hungern i hans frusna kropp  
som har levt på luft och vatten”_

~*~ 

[???]  
[???]

“Ugh.. How long have I been out?” A feminine voice muttered, sitting slowly up from the floor. Her head was throbbing and she felt dizzy as she looked around her in the darkness. She hears some muffled noises from somewhere far away, alerting her. Slowly, the memories crept back into her head as she ran her hand through her thick hair, wondering what to do next. Where is everyone? 

She stood up with wobbling legs and her eyes were starting to adjust to the dark a little bit. Her body was sensitive from laying down for such a long time, but she managed. She looked around the room and saw a silhouetto of another person. She inhaled a sharp breath at surprise, backing away a few footsteps. Then she noticed that the other person was completely motionless. She ran her hand across the wall until she found a light switch, quickly flipping it. The light blinded her for a moment, causing her to hiss. When she had adjusted to the light, she turned her eyes to the other person laying on the floor.

“Hannah!” Priya gasped and ran to her. She was laying down on the floor on her stomach and didn’t react to Priya calling out her name. Priya sat down next to her, turning her around and laid her onto her lap. When she saw Hannah’s face, she let out a loud scream of terror, tears pricking her eyes and bile raising up to her throat.

Her face was totally dismantled. It was a bloody mush, making it impossible to tell her features from what she was looking at. Her other turquoise eye was hanging out of its socket, and some of her teeth had fallen out. Priya shook her head in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. Hannah felt so cold in her arms.. She knew that there was nothing she could do for her, but she still tried to find her pulse. 

Nothing.

No familiar, lively thumps. Her skin was cold and pale, her body limp and motionless.. Hannah was gone. Priya wanted to look away, but couldn’t. She kept wondering if there was something she could’ve done differently.. Maybe if she had woken up earlier.. What was this cruel game of fate? Who decided that she got to live but Hannah had to perish? 

What was she to do now? She had to find the others and inform them that Hannah was gone. She had to carry her body back, she had to do it for her. She had to find a way out of here. Priya laid Hannah back down to the floor gently. She wished that her head didn’t look like that, she wished that she would look just as beautiful as before, just as if she was sleeping peacefully.. But the reality right now was so starkly different from that.

Priya stood up, her whole body tense and rigid. She couldn’t believe that Hannah was dead. She tried to stabilize her breathing, calming down slowly, refusing to look at Hannah. She knew that if she did so, she would break into tears again. She dusted off her clothes and walked to the door, trying to door knob. To her surprise, it opened. She peeked outside, but didn’t see anyone out there. Her heart was beating like crazy as she silently tiptoed out of the room, closing it behind her. She was in some type of an old stone house. It was cold in there and different kinds of plants were growing everywhere, as if this place had been abandoned for hundreds of years.. Although she swore that she had heard voices before.

Priya tiptoed around the place, looking into every room. Most of them were empty or nearly empty and there was nothing of interest there. It was as if no one actually lived here.. Every time she heard a noise, she hid behind some plants or pillars, trying not to make a sound. She kind of felt like she was a spy. She kept thinking about her other friends. What had happened to them? Were they here as well? Where was this place?

Eventually Priya found herself in front of a large wooden door. It looked more decorated than the others, somehow special.. She reached for the handle, holding her breath. She slowly opened the door. The room was dark, but Priya could smell something funny in the room.. She felt curious about that and walked into the room, closing it behind her silently. She swore she saw a bed and a person lying in the bed, but she wasn’t sure as her eyes were still adjusting to the dark. She reached for a light switch and flipped it, but it didn’t work for some reason. 

What was this smell she was smelling? It was kind of metallic and earthy, yet familiar.. Priya took in a deep breath and walked closer, trying to adjust to the dark. Someone was certainly lying in the bed. Priya was quiet, not wanting to attract the attention of whoever was sleeping in that bed.. She also noticed that there was something on the bedside table, maybe a large clock or a statue of some kind? Her curiosity got the better of herself and she picked up the thing on the table. It felt weird.. All mushy, wet and almost like… Flesh? And was that hair?

Priya’s eyes finally adjusted to the dark better and she almost puked when she saw what she was holding. It was Jakub’s mashed and decapitated head, blood all over it. Priya could see his brain, for God’s sake! Priya dropped the head, trying to hold back the scream, beginning to cry again. She looked at the body in the bed - it was large and headless. Totally Jakub’s. Priya started to back away from the room, petrified, about to throw up. She understood that the smell was most likely blood.. And maybe something extra. She backed away, her hand on her mouth, before she crashed onto something. Or better said, someone. 

Priya quickly whipped around and saw Ulrike behind her. She was wearing a long dress and smiling warmly back at Priya. Priya backed away from her in feat, remembering what Henrik had said about her. Don’t trust her. Ulrike just smiled back at Priya, calm and collected.

“Yes, I thought I was hearing someone creeping around in my hallways..” She chuckled darkly and flipped the lightswitch. It worked this time much to Priya’s shock. She could see that Ulrike’s hands were still red from blood. 

“You.. Did you.. Kill Jakub?” Priya asked, shaking her head in shock. 

“Oh yes. He didn’t want to cooperate with me. Poor thing.” Ulrike shrugged, not showing any emotion. She quickly glanced a Jakub’s body and then back at Priya, sensing her fear. It made her smile.

“Did you kill Hannah, too?” Priya asked, starting to feel angry at this woman. 

“Nah, it was one of my servants. A silly little rookie mistake, really. I told them to return you guys in one piece..” Ulrike admitted, looking at her long nails with a bored expression on her face. 

“Why are you doing this?!” Priya yelled, making Ulrike nearly jumped in surprise. This girl had some spunk. Ulrike smirked at Priya and started to walk towards her.

“Spunky.. I like it,” Ulrike grinned at Priya and walked towards her as Priya tried to back away from her, “I just don’t really like you humans. You have destroyed our planet enough. It’s our time to take our power back.” Ulrike answered smoothly and stared Priya deep into her eyes. Priya backed away from her until she hit the wall.

“But why us? We aren’t the only culprits!” Priya breathed out, flattening up against the wall and looking around for an escape.

“You just happened to come at a bad time.. We’re at our most powerful during the Midsummer. It could’ve been anyone, really,” Ulrike smiled demonically and walked right in front of Priya, “And I saw some good candidates for my plan in your group.. Sadly one of them already refused to work with me..” Ulrike hissed and took a hold of Priya’s chin, holding it down and forcing Priya look into her eyes. 

“This is not right.. What are you?!” Priya screamed and tried to avoid Ulrike’s mesmerizing gaze. Ulrike chuckled at her, sensing her dread and panic. It fueled her with excitement. 

“You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to you.. Just know that I am the ruler of the forest. Everyone else here follows my rules, my lead. I hold the power over all things living in this forest. I decide who gets to see another day and who doesn’t..” She spoke darkly, staring at Priya with keen interest. 

“What about my other friends? Are they okay?” Priya asked, starting to feel weirdly calm around Ulrike.. Her touch felt almost.. Nice.. Her body started to relax under her brilliant auburn stare and forceful touch. 

“Some of them are, some of them are not so okay..” Ulrike shrugged, removing hands from Priya’s face and running her hand down her cheek, jawline and neck, making Priya shiver, “You’re an interesting specimen, aren’t you?” Ulrike smiled and looked at Priya’s face and body with hungry eyes, “It’s too bad we can’t marry women..” 

“What?” Priya asked, confused. 

“Nothing, nothing..” Ulrike chuckled, “Now, what should I do with you, my little escapee..” She wondered, biting her lip. She ran her long nails across Priya’s neck, pressing down a little, experimenting. Priya let out a small groan of pain, tensing up again. Suddenly Ulrike laid her hands on Priya’s waist, giving it a squeeze. 

“What’s going on? I feel strange..” Priya said, out of breath, her face flushed ever so slightly as Ulrike’s traveling hands were making her feel all types of things.. Fear mixed with euphoria. 

“You’re little old.. Oh, who am I to say that. I am 466 years old.. But I was younger than you when I was turned..” Ulrike smirked at her, licking her lips, “Hey, let’s make a deal. Imagine this: I’ll let you go. I’ll help you to find your friends.. Well, those that are still alive, anyway. I’ll just have you tell them some important news from me and you’ll absolutely have to persuade them to do what I told them to do. Understood?” Ulrike looked at Priya intensely. Priya thought about it for a moment. She could walk out nearly unscathed, help out her friends and probably get out of the forest. 

“What do you want in return?” Priya asked suspiciously, raising her eyebrows at Ulrike. This sounded too good to be true, right?

“Oh, nothing much, really.. Just a little.. Kiss.” Ulrike bit her lip seductively, staring at Priya’s plump lips. Priya froze. The idea of kissing Ulrike felt.. Strange, even scary, yet hot. She opened her mouth, not being able to tear her eyes away from Ulrike’s eyes. 

“But I don’t really swing that way..” She managed to say, her pulse quickening. Ulrike put her index finger on Priya’s lips and smiled at her.

“It’s just a kiss.. It’s not that dangerous. I swear it’s going to be one of the best kisses of your life. And it’s the only thing I’ll ask of you. If you kiss me once, I’ll let you go. Just remember to do what I told you to do..” Ulrike tempted Priya, letting her hand travel on Priya’s body again. Priya felt hot and bothered under her magnificent touch.

“Okay.. Let’s make out..” Priya finally breathed out, giving in. Ulrike smiled at her seductively before grabbing her face, turning it slightly and crashing her lips onto Priya’s with hunger. Priya melted to the kiss right away, her whole body screaming with euphoria. She felt Ulrike’s hands still exploring, and got brave enough to put her own hands on Ulrike’s body, following her example. Her body felt marvelous and so different under her hands. Nothing like she had felt before, being strictly only into men before.. But Ulrike was certainly something out of this world.. 

The kiss was long and intimate, full of heat and passion, leaving Priya wanting more when Ulrike pulled away, smiling at her mischievously. Priya was panting, her whole body on fire. Ulrike licked her lips, winking at Priya before attacking her neck, kissing and nibbling it.

“Woah! We only talked about one kiss!” Priya managed to shout, but didn’t have the strength - or willpower - to push Ulrike away. Instead she moaned, feeling her legs buckle. Soon enough Ulrike stopped what she was doing and eyeing Priya’s neck with proud expression. 

“You’re a good kisser, Priya.. I wish I could keep kissing you all day, but I have some business to attend to.” Ulrike chuckled and grabbed Priya’s wrist softly, “Come. I’ll show you the way out of this place. I’ll also tell my minions not to hurt or attack you. I’ll call for you when I need your assistance..” Ulrike said and walked the two of them out of the room.

“How will you call me? There’s no service here..” Priya wondered, still dazzled by the steamy kiss. 

“Aww, wanting for more from me already? You’re so adorable!” Ulrike chuckled as they exited the front door together, “I have my ways, don’t you worry yourself.” Ulrike smirked and gave a little peck on Priya’s cheek, “Now, go to that direction.. You’ll find some of your friends soon enough if you go there. Remember our pact. I don’t take well onto people who break promises.” Ulrike said with a threatening tone in the end, pointing her finger in a certain direction. Then, she went back inside without saying anything else, closing the door.

Priya started to walk towards the direction Ulrike had pointed and was starting to understand the gravity of this situation. She had just made a pact she didn’t know much about with some kind of unnatural being, let alone kissed her and liked it. Her throat felt painful and attacked after the kisses and nibbling, one point even felt like it was on fire. She kissed someone who had killed Jakub and was in a sense responsible for Hannah’s death! Priya shook her, feeling guilty and nauseated, wondering why her body betrayed her at that moment. But now, she needed to find everyone else. That had to be her main goal. She couldn’t afford to lose focus right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farewell, Jo! What does losing her make you feel like? Were you surprised that Priya was still alive after all this time?
> 
> Fun fact: This chapter wasn’t supposed to exist at first, but I decided to add another chapter in the last minute - and this is the result of that!


	16. Burning Love Scented with Gasoline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the boys deal after losing their friend. MC finds a familiar place. The group stuck on the island begins to build a raft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: Su*cide

[Forest]  
[Bobby, Ibrahim, Henrik]

“C’mon Ibrahim, we have to get moving..” Bobby sighed and tried to pull Ibrahim off of the ground where he was still hitting, refusing to let go of Jo’s body. 

“I can’t! We can’t abandon her! I don’t want her to be all alone..” Ibrahim cried out, holding Jo tightly. Bobby understood at least partially how Ibrahim must have felt. Even he wasn’t sure if the love of his life was still alive or not. But whatever the situation, he knew they couldn’t stay there next to the corpses of Jo and that troll.

“I know you don’t want to. But Jo’s not here anymore.. Jo.. Jo’s gone. She’s moved on. Onto a place with no pain. She’s not in her body anymore. Not really.” Henrik tried to rationalize, standing little further away from the pair. He looked down at the ground, feeling guilty about how things worked out.

“Please wake me up from this bad dream.. I want to wake up back at the cottage with Jo in my arms, alive and beautiful..” Ibrahim sobbed, his eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying. 

“It’s not our reality now. All I know is that if we don’t leave soon, we’re going to end up like her. She showed true bravery with her actions and she will be dearly missed, but I am sure she would want us to stay safe so she didn’t die for nothing!” Bobby shouted. Ibrahim froze, clearly thinking about his words for a while. He looked down at Jo, brushing some of her blonde short hair from her face, gently, looking at her with a sad smile. He slowly let go of Jo, laying her down on the ground gently. He slowly stood up, still keeping his dark eyes on Jo’s motionless form. Henrik grabbed Bobby’s rucksack from Jo and Bobby went to pick up the axe that the troll had dropped. Ibrahim sighed deeply, picking up the baseball bat and looking at it bitterly.

“If only I had been braver.. My cowardly actions cost me everything..” Ibrahim muttered sadly, wiping his eyes. Henrik touched his shoulder consolingly and Ibrahim turned to look at him, nodding, “Let’s go..” He responded before turning to Jo for the last time, “Goodbye, my love.. Until we meet again..” He smiled at Jo, his lower lip trembling. Then the trio walked away, leaving two corpses in their wake.

Bobby noticed that Ibrahim was trembling all over. He felt so bad for him and was sad and shaken about Jo’s passing, but he knew he needed to be brave now. For Ibrahim. For Henrik. For MC. 

“Henrik.. I hope you know that I don’t blame you about being too slow.. Without you, we all would have died..” Ibrahim said to Henrik quietly, who smiled back at him dryly.

“Thank you.. I can’t help but blame myself a little, and I’m sure you’re feeling the same right now.. But please, don’t blame yourself. Shock and paralyzing because of fear is a natural reaction.” Henrik spoke to Ibrahim, who looked at the ground awkwardly.

“I guess so.. But let’s not think or talk about this now.. If I think about this too much, I’ll never be able to move on..” Ibrahim’s voice cracked.

“Sure.. Let’s concentrate on surviving ourselves and maybe finding other survivors now..” Bobby spoke up and the two other men nodded. They walked in complete silence, trying to forget what they had just seen and lost. Bobby couldn’t help but replace Jo’s face with MC’s, and seeing her dead body in his mind made him feel sick. 

They walked around aimlessly, and somehow made it back to the shed they had seen before. That’s the place where Ibrahim had found the baseball bat. Ibrahim tensed up when he recognized the shed, his jaw clenching. It was obviously making him feel very emotional.

“Is this the shed you had found earlier?” Henrik questioned Bobby quietly, who nodded back at him, keeping a close eye on Ibrahim.

“Should we take a break here? Maybe eat something..” Henrik asked and they both looked at Ibrahim. Ibrahim thought for a while, staring at the shed before shrugging and then nodding with a sigh. 

“Yeah.. I’m feeling a little hungry..” Ibrahim responded quietly and the group set camp next to the shed, starting to eat canned meat in silence. Everything felt so much weirder without Jo. Ibrahim was like a completely different person. He kept sulking and pouting, never smiling like he usually did. Ibrahim found a lighter inside Bobby’s rucksack and started to fiddle with it absentmindedly, looking at the flame with an unreadable expression.

“I think he’s going through a lot right now..” Bobby whispered at Henrik, who nodded, frowning. They kept glancing at Ibrahim while eating, making sure he didn't accidentally burn himself or start a fire with the lighter. 

“I wonder if someone else has died.. And if so, how many..” Ibrahim mumbled quietly and looked at the other men, his eyebrows raised.

“We can’t know for sure.. Let’s hope it’s not many..” Henrik sighed, shaking his head sadly. Ibrahim nodded, turning his face back to the lighter, lighting it again.

“Yeah.. I can’t help but feel like.. Others deserve to feel what I feel..” A wicked smile found its way to Ibrahim’s face for a second, before he quickly shook his head, “Ugh, what am I saying? Sorry, I think my mind is fried..” He cried out and sighed deeply. Henrik and Bobby glanced at each other with uncertainty, worried about Ibrahim’s mental state.

“Rahim.. I know you’re in a lot of pain right now. And you are allowed to feel the pain. Your emotions are valid. But you can’t let it overpower you right now. You have to prove yourself that you’re able to hold on. When we’re out of here, you can go to therapy and work out this issues with time, but now we’re in this together and we need to do our best to survive and protect those that are still here with us..” Bobby sighed, not exactly sure if his answer comforted and infuriated Ibrahim as his face was unreadable.

“I know!” Ibrahim screamed, his eyes looking at the flame, “I know..” He took a deep breath and looked as the flame died down, “Oh my God, I just can’t concentrate on anything else but her.. I’m so sorry guys..” He sounded desperate, utterly broken as he spoke, not daring to meet Bobby and Henrik’s gaze.

“It’s fine, dude. Take deep breaths. It’s going to fine in time.” Henrik spoke calmly, but Ibrahim seemed to become more and more unstable by the minute. 

“Why don’t one of you just kill me? I don’t deserve to live after I let Jo down.. I want to go see her and apologize to her!” Ibrahim spoke, eyeing the guys now with widened eyes.

“Woah! You know we’re not going to do that! We’re friends, family! We’re in this together!” Bobby spoke up, assuring Ibrahim that they’re not going to hurt him.

“If you love me, then kill me! I need to go see Jo!” Tears were starting to form in Ibrahim’s eyes and his body began to tremble. 

“Rahim, buddy, you need to get a hold of yourself..” Henrik said sternly, but Ibrahim shook his head, looking around wildly.

“If you don’t kill me, then I’ll kill myself!” Ibrahim declared and tried to grab the axe that was by Bobby’s side. Bobby was faster, picking up the axe before Ibrahim could get it. His eyes were crazed and there was a broad smile on her face by this point, “Bobby! Let me have the axe!” He screamed and grabbed the axe, trying to pry it from Bobby’s hand. Bobby wouldn’t let him have it and soon Henrik grabbed Ibrahim, prying him away from the axe.

“Ibrahim! We’re not letting you do that, just give up! Just quit struggling!” Bobby boomed.

“If you don’t kill me or let me kill myself, then I’m going to kill you!” Ibrahim screamed crazed, some foam dripping down the sides of his mouth as he struggled in Henrik’s grasp.

“We need to restrain him somehow! Do you have rope in your rucksack?!” Henrik shouted at Bobby, who shook his head, “Fuck! Um… Let’s lock him inside that shed then!” Henrik continued and Bobby nodded. They together pushed Ibrahim inside of the shed and locked the door from the outside. They breathed a sigh of relief as Ibrahim kept knocking and kicking the door aggressively.

“Let me out! I’m gonna kill you! I’m gonna avenge Jo! We all should die because we let her die!” Ibrahim screamed and thrashed around and didn’t even sound like himself anymore.

“We’re letting you out once you’ve calmed down! You’re a threat to us and to yourself!” Bobby answered, yet felt extremely bad for Ibrahim, hoping that he would calm down rather sooner than later. Ibrahim kicked and punched the door for a few more minutes, before they heard him starting to sob and he quit abusing the door, instead sliding down it on the floor. 

They went to pack up the stuff while waiting for Ibrahim to calm down. They spoke in quiet voices, agreeing that Ibrahim was out of his mind and needed psychological counseling as soon as possible. 

“Hey.. Do you hear that?” Henrik suddenly whispered and they both listened closely, “Is he… peeing?” Henrik questioned, confused and Bobby looked at him for a moment with a blank face before realization dawned on his face.

“Fuck! The gasoline! He has a lighter! We need to get him out, now!” Bobby screamed and they both ran back to the shed without missing a beat, reaching for the lock while shouting Ibrahim’s name. 

The shed caught on violent fire in the matter of moments, the sudden heat wave sending Henrik and Bobby backwards. They heard Ibrahim’s laughter mixed with painful screaming.

“No!” Henrik screamed, eyeing the well but noticing that they could never get enough water to put out the fire, “Ibrahim! Jump in the well!” He shouted and rebelled against the heat, slanging open the door. Bobby and Henrik froze as they saw Ibrahim on fire, mumbling something about Jo while looking into the sky. Henrik grabbed him by his hand that wasn’t on fire and began to pull him towards the well, pushing him in without thinking about it. A loud splash could be heard as Ibrahim fell into the water. 

Bobby was shivering, afraid to look down, but he did. He took out his phone, switched the flashlight on and they peered down. Ibrahim was floating there on his back, his body badly burnt and all bloody, but he was breathing, “How do we get him out of there?” Bobby asked in despair, panic present in his voice.

“How are we going to put out that fire?! It could burn down the whole forest!” Henrik panicked at the same time, pulling his long locks while looking at the shed, then Ibrahim, then shed and lastly Bobby, “Ibrahim should be relatively safe in the well.. Unless he wakes up and tries to drown himself or rolls over to his stomach.. We could make a makeshift rope out of clothes or something.. But we can’t let the forest burn down!” Henrik shouted, trying to come up with any solution to this problem. 

“Oh Rahim, Rahim.. What did you do?” Bobby sighed and kept looking at his friend that was floating inside the well, unconscious. Henrik run to the rucksack, looking for anything that could work as a rope. He tied all of Bobby’s clothes together, praying it would be enough. It seemed to be long enough. He tied it around a tree growing next to the well and told Bobby to hold the “rope” while he descended down. 

Unluckily enough, the makeshift rope wasn’t strong enough and it gave in eventually, leaving Henrik to the bottom of the well as well, “At least I can make sure he doesn’t drown now!” Henrik shouted from the bottom, seemingly not shaken up by falling down a well. He held Ibrahim’s burnt corpse in his arms, not letting his head go underwater.

“What can I do now?!” Bobby shouted back at him, panic taking over him. He couldn’t abandon those two! But there was nothing he could do to help them out, either! What if a monster appeared?!

“Take a breath, Bobby! Calm down!” Henrik shouted back, “You’ll figure something out! Try to look for something to work as a rope or something.. Don’t worry about us!” Henrik told him, but it didn’t calm Bobby down much.

“Oh my God, we’re fucked..” Bobby sighed, walking in circles, scratching his head anxiously while trying to come up with a way to help Henrik and Ibrahim.

~*~

[Forest]  
[MC, Lucas, Lottie, Gary & Chelsea]

“How are you feeling now, Gary?” Lucas asked after the group had spent another 30 minutes in the same place, eating and drinking.

“A little better, I guess. I just really want to continue our journey.. Staying still makes me feel anxious..” Gary sighed, closing his water bottle. It was starting to become alarmingly empty - They needed more water soon.

“Are you sure you can walk?” Lottie asked, eyeing Gary suspiciously. Gary smiled at her broadly and nodded.

“Yeah, I think so.. I’ll say to you if we need to stop. Don’t worry, I won’t push myself too far..” Gary said calmly, trying to assure Lottie and the rest of the group.

“You better not push yourself, or I’m going to push you..” Lottie frowned and Gary winked at him cheekily.

“And whatever can that mean?” He laughed, causing Lottie first to blush and then slip a smirk at his goofy boyfriend.

“I do think we start to continue soon. Staying put out here in the open is not the brightest idea..” MC agreed with Gary, who smiled at her gratefully.

“Okay. Let’s go. Let’s start off slow..” Lucas sighed and stood up, followed by the others. Gary tried to pretend that he wasn’t hurt, not succeeding perfectly. The others gazed at him with worry, but he just quickly shook his head.

“I’m fine.” He said sternly and began walking. The others nodded, following him, but keeping a close eye on his walking and bodily reactions.

The group walked forward in silence, everyone mostly worried about Gary’s state and strength. He seemed to be managing surprisingly well once they had started to walk, only taking a sharper breath than normally every once in a while.

The voice in MC’s head was starting to perk up again, making MC a little bit worried. Was something going to happen soon? She looked around herself, alert and awake, looking for any signs of danger or threat. Her head throbbed painfully when she tried to block the voice out, insisting that she should listen to it even if she didn’t understand it.

Thump. Silence. Thump.

MC’s heart skipped a beat as she looked around herself, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. She looked to her left and saw a small path leading through the trees. That path.. She had to follow it. So without saying a word to anyone else, she made a b-line for the path, following in with determination.

“Huh? MC, where are you going!?” Chelsea yelled after her and the rest of the group looked after her, confused. 

“We must go here!” MC shouted back. The others exchanged uncertain glances before deciding to follow her.

MC’s chest tightened as she walked, and she was having an inner dialogue with the voice in her head. She followed the path as if her mind was in a fog, but was unable to stop walking or to explain what drove her to move forward. The voice in her head was becoming louder and mlre demanding..

The trees looked oddly familiar and every little stone along the pathway seemed to be in good memory as MC picked walking speed. She felt like she was coming close, like she was soon where she was meant to be. Every step she took she felt like less of herself and more of someone else. Nothing else in this world mattered anyone other than reaching her destination.

A flashback ran through MC’s head as she finally reached a clearing. A flashback from her dream. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the familiar clearing, strong emotions taking ahold of her body. 

Lottie understood what was going on, gasping as she saw and remembered the clearing. Everyone else was still in the dark, however, and clearly both worried and scared about MC’s weird behavior.

“MC!” Lucas tried to get MC’s attention, but she didn’t even acknowledge his existence. Lottie clicked her tongue sharply at Lucas.

“No, not MC. Anna!” She called out and MC turned to face Lottie, her whole body shaking in emotional distress. She quickly resumed what she was doing, not paying much attention to the others.

 _“Mitt lilla pojke..”_ She whispered, tears finally spilling and she turned back forward, sprinting to the old cross “ _Mitt lilla gosse.. Jag är här nu. Allting skulle bli fint snart..”_ She spoke, her voice having an unnatural echo to it.

She knelt down next to the cross, staring at it wide-eyed. She touched it carefully and gently, a small smile breaking through the tears. Then she started to dig a hole to the ground with her bare hands, wild and panting hard. 

“Woah! What are you doing? You’re freaking me out!” Gary shouted but MC was in her own world. She dug and dug until her fingers bled. She kept muttering something to herself in Swedish and wouldn’t stop wailing.

First she revealed the bigger skeleton of a young woman. She had died while laying down in a fetal position. Next to her, there was an old, rusty knife. Then she dug up the skeleton of a baby next to the adult, gasping once she saw him.

 _“Skatt! Rara!”_ She screamed and picked up the skeleton of the baby carefully, cradling it into her arms while sobbing violently, _“Förlåta mig, snälla..”_ She begged and slumped down, almost crushing the small skeleton with her body weight. 

Lottie was looking at the pair, tears streaming down her face as well, “Mother and son are finally reunited again..” She whispered and wiped her face, smiling broadly. The others were mostly confused and worried for MC’s mental health.

“Oh em gee! Is MC like, possessed? Like in horror movies?” Chelsea questioned, her mouth wide open in surprise.

“I mean, kind off? I suspect that Anna got to create a strong enough connection with MC in her dreams and while spending a whole lot of time in the same place as she did before and that’s how she used MC’s physical body to find this place.. She’s just a desperate mother who has been trying to find her child for over 40 years..” Lottie sniffed, touched by the sight in front of her.

”Whatever the case, she’s cuddling and holding skeletal human remains.. Don’t you think that that’s a tad bit weird and disgusting?” Lucas sighed and wasn’t sure what to do next. He didn’t do well with this supernatural stuff.

“Any parent that has lost a child would probably do anything to hold their angel for one last  
time.. And Anna has been waiting for this moment for 40 years. Give that ghost a break!” Gary states half-jokingly, half-serious.

Suddenly MC stood up slowly, still holding the skeleton and turned to face the others. Her eyes were glistening, yet full of determination, “We need to bury him in the graveyard.” She noted, her voice surprisingly calm and stabilized. 

“There’s a graveyard nearby?” Gary asked surprised. They hadn’t seen any random graveyards while walking around the forest.

“There’s this island in the lake where there’s this small church and a graveyard. That place used to have people infected with leprosy living in there and that’s why they built a church there - so these people would be able to hear God’s healing words. The leprosarium building is in ruins but the church was renovated and they still hold some masses these occasionally..” MC explained calmly. There was no way MC would actually know any of this information..

“How are we gonna get to that island? The boat was taken by our friends escaping the monsters..” Lucas sighed and frowned.

“There has to be another way..” MC sighed in despair, looking at the skeletal remains of the baby boy, “Or then.. We can return these to my father.. He’s still alive and I think he would be thankful to finally know what happened to his only daughter..” MC chuckled sadly while thinking about “her father”.

“Can you point us the way?” Chelsea asked, clearly a little shy about talking to a ghost that possessed her close friend’s body.

“Certainly. It’s not too far.. I’m just scared about seeing him again even though I know he won't be able to really see me.. But the truth needs to come out after over forty years. He deserves to know what happened to me before he passes..” MC sighed and looked at the ground.

“Okay. Maybe we can finally call for help there, too..” Lottie sighed and MC smiled at her broadly.

“Can we.. Can we take my bones back, too..? I know I deserved my punishment but I’ve been thinking.. Like, what if God would forgive me if I’m finally buried under holy soil? I haven’t been dragged down to Hell yet either.. And like, maybe I would finally be able to move on?” MC spoke quietly, somewhat embarrassed to ask something like that. The others looked at each other thoughtfully, wondering.

“I’ll carry your bones.” Lottie stated shortly after all of the others shook their heads. She walked next to Anna’s skeletal remains and started to pick up the intact skeleton gently, but they all rattled and fell apart, “Oh! Oops, sorry..” Lottie apologized.

“It’s fine! As long as all of my bones come with, I don’t care about the order of them.. I’ll keep carrying my boy.” MC laughed and smiled at Lottie.

“Okay. Let’s get a move on..” Gary mumbled after Lottie had finished placing human remains into her rucksack. 

“I hope I’ll never have to see this place again..” MC admitted while looking at the clearing with a forlorn look on her face, “Okay, so.. We’ll have to go this way.” She stated with a forced smile and began to lead the group to a certain direction with the confidence of a person that has walked that path hundreds of times.

~*~

[Island]  
[Hope, Noah, Marisol, Elisa & Rocco]

The group quickly climbed up the ladder from the tunnels and blocked the trap door with everything they could move. Panting heavily, they ran back to the church hall, locking the backroom. 

“God damn, that was close!” Rocco took a deep breath as he was crouching down, holding his stomach. The others nodded, trying to stabilize their breathing.

“I just had an idea.. You know how outside there were these ruins of some buildings? We could probably take some of the wood there to build a raft..” Marisol pointed out after she had calmed down. A sense of relief washed over the group as they thought about her idea. They were all hungry and thirsty, not having eaten anything for a while, and were so ready to get back to civilization.

“Yes! Good thinking!” Elisa grinned at Marisol, praising her. Marisol blushed slightly at her compliment, returning a courteous smile.

The group exited the church into beautiful, warm sunlight. They looked around and saw ruins of a large, wooden building to their right in the outskirts of the forest. They walked closer, watching out for any threats.

“Woah.. I wonder what building this used to be…” Noah thought out loud and picked up a wooden plank, examining it and knocking at it, “I think it’s good enough to use for a raft..” 

“It’s very close to the church.. So maybe the priest or the sacristan lived there?” Hope suggested and started to gather some of the bigger planks into a pile. The others followed suit, helping her out.

“We also have some old nails here, leftover from the building.. We could maybe try and use them in case we cannot find rope..” Rocco pointed out and picked up a dark nail off of the ground. 

“Hmmh..” Marisol hummed and picked up one of the wooden planks, turning it around. It had a text carved into it: _Spetälskesjukhus,_ “Hey, I think this building was some kind of hospital? _Spetälske.._ I wonder what that is..” Marisol wondered and added the plank to the pile of usable wood.

“Sounds dangerous, whatever it is..” Elisa sighed. The group had soon gathered enough planks to build a big enough draft. Each of them looked for a large stone to use as a hammer. 

They worked on the draft in silence at first, all of them trying to spare their energy for trying to make it to the other side. Eventually they started to have some small conversations about the future and the other islanders.

“I kept seeing such horrible nightmares last night. I seriously hope none of them were a reflection of the current situation..” Hope sighed deeply and stopped working on the raft for a moment to wipe her sweaty forehead.

“What did you see?” Elisa asked quietly, eyeing Hope with empathy.

“So many of our friends were hurt, attacked and some of them even died! Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I woke up..” Hope explained with a frown before returning to work.

“I just can’t help but feel like we’ve been so useless here.. We have been stuck here on this island for probably over a day now, we haven’t been able to call for help or look for any of our friends..” Marisol admitted with a guilty look on her face. 

“We couldn’t prepare for our escape unlike the others. We were left with nothing. We were dealt the worst cards and we’ve been playing with the best strategy we could with them..” Noah sighed and offered an encouraging smile to the rest of the group.

“Yeah! And without your quick wit, Marisol, more of us wouldn’t have probably made it out of that cottage. We really owe you our lives!” Elisa smiled at Marisol charmingly and Marisol couldn’t keep a smile out of her face at Elisa’s words.

“And soon we can become more useful again. Once we’ve finished building this raft, we can reach the other shore and finally call for help from somewhere!” Rocco reminded the others with a smile. The others nodded in agreement and quieted down again to better focus on their goal.

The raft was starting to look quite safe and secure as they nailed the last nail in. They looked at their handiwork, proud of what they had achieved together. 

“Now we must only pray that it floats.. Otherwise we might be in deep trouble..” Noah sighed and stood up, others following his example.

“If it begins to sink, we may need to find something that can store air to put below it..” Marisol thought, trying to rack up her brain with mathematical equations, trying to determine if the raft would be able to carry five people.

“We should probably test it out first with two or three people before setting sails..” Hope suggested and the others agreed with her.

“Yeah, that’s probably the safest option.. I can volunteer as one of the dummies.” Noah called out. Hope examined him with a worried expression before sighing.

“Okay, if you try it out, I’ll come with you!” Hope responded and Noah smiled at her.

“Let’s start with you two and if everything seems to be working properly, we’ll add one more person at a time.” Marisol declared and picked up two leftover planks, lending them to Noah and Hope, “Use this as paddles. Let’s start to walk towards the shore.” She ordered and the rest of them picked up the raft, starting to carry it towards the shore.

Once they made it to the shore, they lowered the raft on the water carefully, examining its qualities. It floated fine without any additional weight. Noah took a deep breath and stepped to the raft first, shortly followed by Hope. Everything was going according to the plan so far.

“Paddle a little bit, we’ll have to see how it reacts to the movement..” Marisol ordered thoughtfully. Noah and Hope nodded and started to move away from the shore, using planks as paddles. The raft sailed smoothly without any troubles in the tranquil open water. The islanders on the island cheered and called for Noah and Hope to start paddling back towards the shore.

Just as they were starting to turn around, the wind picked up and pushed them further away. Stunned at first, they started to put more effort into paddling, slowly making their way back towards the shore. 

Then, out of nowhere, a large grayish-blue webbed hand appeared on top of the raft from down below, looking for something to hold. The islanders waiting back on the island screamed alerted, warning for the looming danger behind Noah and Hope.

They turned around just in time for the creature to grab Hope’s ankle and pull her off the raft. Hope let out a surprised, panicked yelp and tried to hold onto anything she could without much success.

“Hope!” Noah yelled and grabbed Hope’s wrist quickly, trying to pull her back. Marisol, Rocco and Elisa were freaking out on the shore, wondering if there was any way for them to help their friends.

“Noah! Pull harder!” Hope screamed and thrashed her leg around, trying to free herself from her captor’s grasp. 

“Does it not look like I’m trying?” Noah shouted back, giving his everything as he pulled Hope. Suddenly he lost his balance and both of them fell underwater with a loud splash.

“Hope! Noah!” Marisol screamed and thought back at the cave paintings, trying to remember if there were any helpful tips about facing _näcken._ And though she felt stupid doing it, she took a stone off the ground and threw it underwater, mumbling näcken’s name before running in towards Hope and Noah that were currently doing their best to stay afloat.

Noah felt something grabbing his leg instead. Figuring out that either the creature had given up on Hope or was dividing his strength between the two of them, he pushed and forced Hope back on the raft before pushing it towards the shore, “Paddle to the shore Hope!” He yelled trying to fight off the monster.

“But Noah! I can’t abandon you! Climb in!” Hope said in panic, her whole body trembling. Noah noticed Marisol approaching and shouted at her instead, knowing that Hope wouldn’t listen to him right now.

“Marisol! Pull Hope and the raft to the shore right now!” He yelled and felt something creeping up his leg as he became more and more tired to thrash and fight back, “I’ll be fine! Just take Hope to safety! Please!” He added when Marisol gave her a suspicious look. Their eyes met and when Marisol saw the look in Noah’s eyes, she just nodded, grabbed the raft and began to pull Hope back to the shore with all of her strength. Rocco and Elisa joined her halfway there after recovering from their shock.

“Noah! We can’t leave him! No! Noah!” Hope screamed and looked after her, petrified and unable to move due fear and shock.

“We can’t help him right now! We have to get you back!” Elisa yelled at Hope and the three of them managed to pull Hope and draft back to the shore. Rocco grabbed Hope right away, stopping her from running straight back in. 

“Noah, hold on! I’m coming!” Marisol hollered and began to run back into the lake just as she saw Noah being completely submerged underwater, “No!” She screamed, running as fast as she could. 

“What’s going on? Is Noah okay?” Hope questioned Rocco and Elisa who were blocking her view. Her voice was frail and empty, full of shock and denial.

Marisol ran to the point she had seen Noah last, took a deep breath and dove. The water was too murky for her to see barely anything. She tried to feel around for Noah or any movements with her legs and hands without positive results. 

Eventually she had to return to the surface to breathe. She blinked rapidly, coughing out some water and when her vision normalized she saw something horrible. 

The water around her had turned crimson red. Her clothes were absorbing that cursed color as well and Marisol had no doubt in her mind about what could be causing that phenomenon. It had to be blood. Noah’s blood. Marisol began to shake all over, trying to process what she was seeing. She left out a blood-curdling scream when a familiar hand floated on the surface.

“Marisol!” She heard Elisa calling out for her. Marisol knew there was nothing she could do for Noah anymore other than to save herself and take care of Hope for him. She ran out of the water, a sorrowful expression on her face.

“Where’s Noah? Is he coming or what?” Hope asked when Marisol approached the trio. Marisol looked straight into Hope’s brown eyes before shaking her head with a heavy sigh. 

“You mean, he’s..?” Rocco asked with furrowed brows and stared at the lake. It was completely calm again, as if nothing had happened or was lurking down below. The only signs that something had indeed happened was the red cloud and a singular floating hand.

Marisol nodded, a lonely tear running down her damp cheek. Hope’s eyes widened at the realization and she began to shake her head, keeping her gaze on the ground.

“That can’t be true.. You’ve got to be lying! Marisol, please tell me that you’re lying!” Hope screamed and grabbed Marisol’s shoulders aggressively. Marisol looked at her with a sad expression.

“I’m so sorry, hun..” Marisol whispered, her voice breaking mid-sentence. Hope let her hands slide off of Marisol’s shoulders and just hang freely by her sides. Her whole form was trembling as she took three steps towards the shore before falling down to her knees, tears now flowing without any filter.

“Noah! Noah! Do you hear me?! Please answer me!” She screamed on top of her lungs and her whole upper body slumped to the ground. She began to hit the ground beneath her with her right fist, screaming and crying loudly. 

The other three looked at her with sympathy. Elisa and Marisol were both sobbing quietly and Rocco just kept watching at the lake with an empty stare, not fully processing and accepting what had just happened.

“Noah! Noah! Come back! This is not funny!” Hope kept calling out for Noah, refusing to let go and believe that he was gone. She kept wailing and calling his name for so long that her voice was barely audible, a raspy and breathy groan. The gentle waves slowly brought Noah severed hand to the shore as time went on. Hope picked up the hand, just staring at it with puffy, red eyes and an unreadable expression. Exhausted, she fell completely to the ground while still holding onto Noah’s detached hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Auf Wiedersehen, Noah.. When will this bloodshed end? Comments and kudos are always appreciated! xx


	17. For Whom the Church Bells Toll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ulrike scores another deal with one of the islanders. Will Henrik and Ibrahim ever make it out of the well? Will Anna be reunited with her family after forty years? How is Hope coping with her loss?

[Forest]  
[Bobby, Ibrahim & Henrik]

Ulrike watched panicked Bobby pace around a burning shed, muttering something to himself and nearly pulling out his hair. The fire was already spreading to the trees nearby, making Ulrike frown in disgust. Humans, ruining nature once again with their stupidity and emotions. How predictable.. Then, a sly smirk formed on her lips as she got an idea. An idea that could benefit both parties. She took a deep breath and walked out of the woods, approaching Bobby with a feminine stride. 

“Oh, Bobby, was it? What a coincidence meeting you here! What’s going on in here?!” Ulrike gasped as she walked next to Bobby, feigning surprise. She looked at the fire with fake panic in her eyes. Bobby turned to look at Ulrike, remembering the earlier conversation with Henrik, Jo and Ibrahim. Ulrike’s true nature. _Don’t mention the tail, don’t mention the tail.._

“H… Hi Ulrike! We accidentally set the shed on fire and now Ibrahim and Henrik are stuck in a well..” Bobby blushed in embarrassment, understanding how wacky and absurd the story sounds.

“Is that so? Do you need help?” Ulrike smiled at the baker, eyeing him curiously. He was like an open book to Ulrike, wearing his emotions and intentions on his sleeve. She knew that he knew about her true nature. It was evident in his eyes and posture.

“Any ideas?” Bobby chuckled nervously, glancing between the well and the burning shed. He was completely out of ideas.

“I’m full of wonderful ideas, Bobby..” Ulrike smirked and tapped her jaw with her index finger in thought, “But my services are never free.. You should know that by now, shouldn’t you?” She added with a dark chuckle. She saw the man next to her tense up and couldn’t help but enjoy the dread in his amber eyes.

“What are you talking about?” Bobby stuttered, taking a step back away from Ulrike, avoiding her piercing gaze, his blood running cold at her statement and dark chuckle.

“You know what I’m talking about.. I know that you know I’m quite not.. human. And you know that deals with unnatural beings come with a price.. You’ve heard the stories. Sell your soul to the Devil, gain money, fame, love, lust - whatever. But lose a part of your being in that process. Luckily for you, I’m not the Devil. Just an.. Advocate of sorts. My prices are lower.” Ulrike smiled sweetly and reached her hand out to touch Bobby’s face. He dodged her touch, remembering her seduction powers. Ulrike lifted her brows in amusement, smirking.

“Okay, you got me. I know. We know.” Bobby whispered in a hushed voice, quickly glancing at the well with uncertainty.

“Bobby! Who are you talking to?” The pair heard Henrik shouting from the well, confused and worried. 

“But I’m not going to play along with your stupid games. We know that you’re the one responsible for Jo’s death!” Bobby gritted his teeth, remembering the moment when Jo was hit with the axe and thrown against the large oak tree by that troll, “And for nearly killing me as well!” he added, his head throbbing in agreement.

“Are you braindead? Everything here happens according to my words. It would be very ignorant of you not to hear my proposal out..” Ulrike smirked and tapped her feet impatiently, “I could really make you regret not listening to me, you know.. With the snap of my fingers, I could send the whole forest after your beloved MC..” 

“MC’s probably dead already by now! I’m not falling for your lies!” Bobby shouted, his eyes filling with tears as he thought about MC and what could’ve happened to her.

“Oh, I assure you.. She’s still alive. You can take my word for it.” Ulrike chuckled, Bobby’s glistening eyes humoring her just the right way, “Now, hear me out.. If you cooperate with me right now, I’ll stop the fire and help your friends out of the well.. If you won’t cooperate, I’ll make your beloved MC pay for your stupidity with her life. And probably torture your friends as well as a delicious little side dish..” Ulrike licked her lips.

“And what is it to you?” Bobby huffed, crossing his legs and eyeing Ulrike doubtfully.

“You should already know what I want from you men.. Just one little thing.. A ring.” Ulrike smiled at Bobby, who seemed taken aback by the suggestion. 

“I can make you a ring out of a birch twig or something if that’s what you want!” Bobby joked, trying to avoid what Ulrike was really hinting at.

“Oh, even you are not that dumb, Bobby. You know what I meant. I want you to marry me so I can finally be free..” Ulrike smiled at Bobby, who froze in deep thought.

“Bobby! Is that Ulrike? Don’t trust her, you hear me?!” Henrik shouted from below, panic evident in his voice. 

“Remember.. If you say yes, I’ll help you and your friends out with your current predicament and promise not to hurt you or your beloved.. But If you say no.. That’s like a death sentence to your bird! I could even make you watch as I kill her in the most brutal way I could imagine.. I bet that would drive you crazy..” Ulrike laughed demonically and sounded delighted when she said the last part of her sentence. Bobby stared at her, horrified and infuriated. 

Bobby thought about it. If he said no, he’d risk losing the person that matters to him the most. Maybe there was a way to find and save her before Ulrike could, however? That sounded unlikely though, as she was in charge of the entire forest. And if he said yes.. He’d betray MC. She’s the one Bobby wants to see walk down the aisle towards him. She would be heartbroken by the marriage, that’s for sure. But at least she’d be safe. Plus, the fire would be put out and his friends would be saved from the well. 

“Take your time.. I’ve waited for over 400 years already, what a few more minutes for me?” Ulrike chuckled sarcastically, tapping her feet and looking at Bobby expectantly.

“Bobby, buddy! Listen here! Don’t do anything stupid! We don’t know what she’s capable of!” Henrik screamed from the well in despair. 

“Tick.. Tock.. Tick.. Tock.. Your indecisiveness could become more pricey than you could’ve ever imagined.. And don’t you feel even the tiniest bit of sympathy for me? I never chose this life..” Ulrike whispered, trying to make the best puppy eyes at Bobby.

“If you showed any remorse and guilt for what you’ve done, then maybe I would feel sympathy.. But to me it looks like you’re getting a kick out of torturing us.” Bobby huffed angrily. 

“I’m getting a kick out of justice, not vengeance, my dear..” Ulrike smiled innocently and shrugged her shoulders, tilting her head slightly. 

“Your sense of justice is completely twisted..” Bobby sighed and scratched his head. 

“So are you saying no to my proposal? Are you really ready to pay that price?” Ulrike lifter her brows with a mischievous smile on her face. Bobby bit his lip anxiously, avoiding her gaze. He thought about MC. He thought about Henrik and Ibrahim. He thought about everyone else. What would be left to him if he declined?

“No, no, hold on for another minute..” Bobby quickly answered and furrowed his brows, thinking hard. Even the birds were quiet as Bobby came to a decision, “I’ll marry you. But not out of love for you, but out of love for MC.” Bobby sighed deeply, hanging his head in defeat, clenching his fists.

Ulrike’s face brightened up as she took ahold of Bobby’s hands before he could dodge, “I knew that you had some sense in that beautiful head of yours! You won’t regret this choice!” Ulrike chimed joyfully, smiling from ear to ear. Her excitement could’ve even look adorable had she not been an absolute sadistic demon. She turned to the fire and with the quick movement of her hand, the fire was gone. She then walked up to the well and let out a makeshift rope made out of plants and ivy that she created seemingly out of nowhere, “Henrik! Ibrahim! Climb up!” She called down out there. Henrik grimaced at her before sighing in defeat, knowing that he had no other choice but to comply.

“Ibrahim is still unconscious! I’ll tie him in and help you lift him up. When he’s up there, throw the rope back to me!” Henrik shouted back. Ulrike nodded with a cold smile. Henrik tied Ibrahim as securely to the rope as he could and began to lift him up with the help of Ulrike. Ulrike was crazy strong, pulling Ibrahim out of the well with no problem. After Ibrahim was out of the well, she threw the rope back in and Henrik climbed up with precise as an experienced rock climber. He didn’t even thank Ulrike, instead giving her the cold shoulder. Ulrike didn’t seem bothered and just shrugged, walking back to Bobby.

“Okay honey, I’ll go prepare for our wedding. I’ll come for you before the ceremony starts..” She smiled at Bobby and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. The pet name and peck made Bobby shiver in disgust, but he tried to hide it from his bride-to-be.

“Yeah, bye..” Bobby said silently, not returning the pet name or warmth. Again, Ulrike didn’t seem too bothered and she just walked off with a spring in her step. A cow tail was visible from under her long dress. Henrik walked up to Bobby with a frown on his face, shaking his head in disapproval. 

“What did you do, buddy?” He sighed deeply, clearly disappointed with the outcome, “We don’t know if we can trust her.. And what’s she’s capable of.” 

“What was I supposed to do?! She would’ve hurted MC! And she would’ve hurted you!” He said sadly and didn’t meet Henrik’s gaze, “Plus, she already helped you and Ibrahim get out of the well like she promised.. Maybe she’ll keep her other promises..” He said out loud, trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince Henrik.

“And you’re hurting MC by going through with this, too! She’ll never be able to trust you again!” Henrik shouted, getting more and more angry at Bobby and at the entire situation. Bobby winced and clenched his fists at Henrik’s words.

“At least she’ll be alive.. I don’t care about anything else anymore..” Bobby sighed, hurt and sorrow clear in his voice. Henrik next to him took a deep breath, trying to calm his unusually hot temper. 

“I hope the deal was worth it.. I’m not going to protest against it anymore as I know your intentions were good but.. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if something goes wrong.” Henrik stated and with one last meaningful look to Bobby he walked next to Ibrahim, checking up on him. His skin was badly burnt and he hadn’t woken up, but he was breathing. 

Bobby’s legs buckled and he fell to his knees in exhaustion and nausea. What had he done to himself? To MC? What would happen next? But at least a small glimmer of hope had opened up to him during Ulrike’s visitation. MC was still alive. And that was enough information to keep Bobby going, to keep him from giving up.

~*~

[House]  
[MC, Lucas, Lottie, Gary & Chelsea]

MC, Lucas, Lottie, Gary and Chelsea were quickly approaching a red wooden house on the edge of the forest. The lights were on, invitingly warm, making the group feel already much safer and relieved. MC was still carrying the skeletal remains of Anna’s baby boy, leading the group with determination.

“I’m finally home..” MC sighed happily, tears pricking her eyes as she looked at the house in front of her. She was about to walk up to the door and give it a knock when Lucas stopped her in her tracks with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“MC, um.. Anna. I’m not sure about you, but I’d be weirded out if a group of strangers who look like they’ve gone through hell and back knocked on my door while holding a small skeleton in their arms.. So I’d suggest you put the bones away just for now, okay?” He sighed and MC looked back at the bones with a forlorn face before nodding. She took off the rucksack and placed the bones carefully in there, grimacing.

“Just sleep there for a second, my love..” She whispered silently as she closed the rucksack gently, “Oh! My father doesn’t speak much English, so you probably won't be able to talk to him much..” MC reminded the group, who exchanged worried glances.

“You’d probably give him a heart attack if you tell him that ‘Hey, I’m your missing slash dead daughter who returns home after forty years in the body of a twenty-something-year-old unknown girl..’ Just the feeling I’m getting from all of this, hun..” Lottie bit her lip nervously and MC looked at her with a blank expression.

“I guess you’re right.. But we don’t have any other options, really.. Unless..” She said thoughtfully before knocking the door suddenly. Her movements were sure and urgent as she had been waiting for this moment for over forty years. They heard slow footsteps approaching and soon the door flung open. An old man with a walking stick stood on the other side, a surprised look on his face.

 _“Pappa!”_ MC screamed in joy and flung her arms around the old man, hugging him tightly. The man looked shocked and taken aback, eyeing the other group with a confused expression on his face. He still hugged MC back carefully before extracting himself, taking a closer look at her face.

 _“Vem är du?”_ He asked with a frown and MC’s eyes were soon filled with tears at his words.

 _“Jag är din dotter.. Anna.. Jag kom tillbaka..”_ She whispered and took ahold of her father’s face, looking deeply into his eyes. The old man looked at the other group with a quizzical look, as if asking whether this girl was mentally stable or mistaken. Lucas was about to open his mouth when another man, younger than the father, walked to the hall as well. 

_“Jöns! Bror!”_ MC screamed in excitement and tried to run up to the other man, but the old man blocked her way. 

“Um, excuse me…” Lucas cleared his throat and the two men turned to look at him. The older man seemed confused, but the younger one nodded in understanding, “Do either one of you speak English? We have some urgent news..” Lucas added. 

“My father doesn’t speak English that well, but I do,” the younger man, maybe in his mid-60s, responded and said something to his father. The old man nodded and moved out of the way, letting the group in. A wave of relief rushed over the group as the door closed behind them, “My name in Jöns Holmstad. I am a priest, so usually people call me by my last name but you’re welcome to call me Jöns.. Nice to meet you. And this is Ulf, my father.” Jöns said with a clear accent, but he was well understood. 

“Nice to meet you, John! My name is Chelsea, this is Lucas, this is Lottie and this is Gary! And oh, the strange young lady who keeps muttering something is Swedish is MC! No, she’s Anna right now!” Chelsea introduced everyone, slapping her forehead when she accidentally called MC.. MC.

“Anna?” Ulf perked up, looking around for her daughter in confusion. MC pointed at herself desperately, but Ulf didn’t notice her. 

“Anna? That’s the name of my little sister who disappeared years ago.. Does your friend have dissociative identity disorder or something?” Jöns asked while furrowing his brows.

“No.. I don’t know how to explain this..” Lottie sighed and began to explain about the bunker and about the diary they had found, finally telling the pair what happened to their beloved family member. While she was talking, two other figures appeared. An older woman and another man, maybe a few years younger than Jöns.

“So you’re saying that.. My sister.. Killed herself? And right now this strange woman is possessed by my sister? How are we supposed to believe you?” The other younger man chimed in. MC’s eyes lit up at his voice.

 _“Leif! Lillebror!”_ MC called out and Leif’s body tensed up at hearing his own name being called out by this stranger.

“I mean, you could try and ask any personal questions from her.. Something no one else but Anna would know..” Gary suggested and the two brothers nodded. They started to ask MC questions about Anna and her life, and MC answered without missing a beat. They looked shocked and taken aback, finding it hard to believe whatever they were hearing. Ulf’s eyes filled with tears first as he gave “his daughter” a long, tight hug. He was shaking all over. Jörn and Leif were shaking their heads, clearly flabbergasted. Once Ulf let go of MC, it was their turn to hug their “sister”. 

“So, is that woman Anna’s mother? Birgit, was it?” Lottie whispered to Jön who shook his head quickly.

“No, our mother died in 1998. She’s my father’s new wife, Maja. She’s like a stepmother to us. Very sweet lady. And he makes my father happy, so that’s enough for us. They got married in 2005.” Jörn explained and pointed at the old woman, who smiled back at them warmly.

“I.. I sincerely want to thank you guys for telling us what happened to my sister. I’m a police officer and I’ve been looking into her case for over twenty years on my freetime but I never found out what happened to her.. I’ve been beating myself up for it. But now we finally have the answers. I mean, we figured out that she was most likely dead, but now we know the full story.. Even though the ending wasn’t a happy one, we can finally leave this chapter behind.. I’m sure it means a lot to our father as well. He was never the same after Anna went missing..” Leif spoke up, his eyes glistening under the ceiling light. 

Everyone in the room was getting all emotional, small sniffs and sobs could be heard and no eye was left dry at that moment. MC was talking with Ulf, who was still the most shaken up about the whole thing. She then opened her rucksack and showed the bones of the baby. Everyone fell silent. Lottie slowly opened up her rucksack to reveal Anna’s bones. Ulf let out a loud sob, his knees buckling. Jöns and Leif ran to their father’s side, holding him up. 

“We need to bury their remains.. We held a small funeral for her in 1975 and her name in on our family gravestone, but there was nothing in the coffin that day. I think our sister and her baby deserve a proper burial.” Jöns sighed and smiled sadly at the group. Everyone nodded understandingly, “I’ll call up my friend Göran. He’s an undertaker, so he will be able to dig a hole with permission..” He added and took out his phone, dialing a number. 

“Can we get a ride away from here? We’ve been through a lot.. And.. I think someone should call the police. Some of our friends are lost in the forest and some of them might even be.. Dead.” Lucas spoke up, alerting Leif. Leif nodded and took his phone out right away, calling the emergency number. 

Everyone waited in silence for the brother’s to finish their calls. Jöns finished first, turning to the group. 

“I’m going to go ahead and go to the church right now.. Göran said he won’t be able to come before the morning but that someone had booked a wedding for this evening for some reason just now.. I’ll have to go and make that happen,” Jöns explained and was all confused, “Some lady named Ulrike..” He began but was stopped by a choir of gasps. 

“Ulrike? That Ulrike?” Chelsea whispered and looked at the group wildily, “Is Ulrike marrying Jakub? That was fast!” 

“I mean, there could be other Ulrike’s here, too..” Gary said thoughtfully, scratching his beard. As soon as he said that, there was a knock on the door. Leif, who had just finished his call, ran to the door and opened the door quickly. 

Behind it stood Priya. She looked scared and worried, panting loudly. The group ran to the hall, seeing Priya.

“Priya! That’s one of our friends! Let her in!” Lottie screamed and Leif followed her orders, letting Priya inside the house. Priya thanked him with a smile and ran to her friends, giving them quick hugs. 

“It’s so good to see you guys! Have you called for help? Do you know about the others?” She questioned and tried to stabilize her breathing. Lottie told her what had happened so far and Priya nodded along, looking at the group thoughtfully, “Well, good to know that they’ll be searching for the rest of our group. I know for sure that..” She gulped loudly and looked at the ground, “Hannah and Jakub.. They’re dead..” Her voice was barely a whisper as tears welled in her eyes. Everyone gasped loudly, alerted by her news.

“That can’t be true! Oh no..!” Chelsea gasped and shook her head in disbelief, tears pricking her eyes as well. Leif looked even more alerted about the whole situation as before, texting something to someone. 

“And I have even more news.. We’ll have to go to the church as soon as possible. Ulrike invited us..” Priya said quietly, looking at the group with a serious expression. She scratched her lower back quickly, having a weird itchy sensation there out of nowhere.

“What’s going on? Who is Ulrike marrying if Jakub is dead? Rocco?” Gary questioned and Priya shook her head at him.

“You’ll see soon enough.. But we have to get going!” Priya exclaimed and looked at the two brothers, “Can you guys give us a ride?” She begged the two brothers, who just nodded.

“Let’s go.” Leif stated bluntly, picking up his car keys. Everyone went to the yard and got ready to go. MC was finally returning to her own self, confused at what was going on. Lucas explained what had happened to her during the car drive. 

For some reason, MC had a strange feeling about this. 

~*~

[Island]  
[Marisol, Elisa, Rocco & Hope]

Hope was sitting on the shore all alone as she was grieving over Noah’s passing. She kept looking at the open sea, praying that at any given moment Noah would just pop up below the surface and tell her it was all a prank or a horrible dream. Marisol, Elisa and Rocco were sitting a little further from the shore, watching over Hope. They had abandoned all hope of leaving the island without any interference from the outside and were just praying that someone would save them.

Suddenly Hope saw something in the distance. At first she thought she was imagining it, that it was all a mirage, but soon she realized that someone was approaching them. She slowly stood up, trying to figure out what she was seeing.

It was a boat moving towards them at high speed. She saw three, wait, four people in the boat, heading for the island. Hope tried to make out whether she recognized these people or not, but they were still rather far away.

“Hey guys! Someone’s coming!” Hope yelled at the other three, who at first just stared at her with shocked expressions as Hope hadn’t spoken anything to them after what happened with Noah. They looked at the lake and noticed the approaching boat, walking closer to the shore now. 

“Is that Henrik?” Rocco muttered and furrowed his eyes.

“And that looks like Bobby!” Elisa exclaimed abd waved her hand at the group.

“What’s wrong with Rahim?” Marisol pointed at Ibrahim, that was still unconscious.

“Wait.. Is that Ulrike? What is she doing here?” Hope wondered out loud.

The boat drove towards the group and eventually stopped right next to them. Bobby and Henrik jumped out of the boat quickly, running to the group with their arms wide open.

“Oh thank goodness you guys are alive!” Bobby squeaked and hugged the four of them, feeling extremely emotional at seeing her friends again. They all hugged him back, although Hope’s embrace was rather lackluster and weak.

“Yeah, it’s so good to see you again!” Henrik smiled and hugged everyone before pouting, “Hope, where's Noah? You guys are usually inseparable!” He asked with raised eyebrows. Hope froze at his question, feeling her tears returning to her eyes. Elisa wrapped her arm around her shoulder, squeezing consolingly.

“Noah’s gone..” Marisol admitted quietly and Bobby’s and Henrik’s widened in shock. They looked at their feet sadly, feeling sorry for Hope, “What happened to Ibrahim? And where’s Jo?” Marisol questioned in response.

“Jo was killed when she tried to protect us all.. And Ibrahim went mental after that and tried to burn himself alive..” Bobby admitted and let out a long sigh, “He begged us to kill him. When we told him we wouldn’t, he became aggressive and we had to lock him up into this shed and we forgot that it had gasoline and he had a lighter on him and oh God.. Henrik saved him by throwing him into a well.” He elaborated when Marisol looked at him with a very confused and quizzical look.

“Damn.. That sounds horrible..” Rocco whispered and gazed at the unconscious, burnt golfer. 

“So are we going to leave or something now that we have a boat or what?” Elisa asked hopefully and before anyone could answer, Ulrike spoke up.

“Not quite yet.. We’ll have a wedding to attend before we can go!” Ulrike beamed at Bobby, who turned his head away from her.

“A wedding? What’s going on?” Marisol questioned, flabbergasted.

“Bobby and I are getting married!” Ulrike declared and everyone’s mouths hung wide open. 

“You two are getting married?!” Elisa gasped and looked at Bobby, “What about MC?!” Elisa screamed and couldn’t hide her shock.

“I’m protecting her by doing this..” Bobby blushed, clearly not wanting to explain how. Rocco huffed at his words.

“You’re going to break her poor heart, that’s what you’re doing..” He groaned and shot a dirty look at Bobby.

“He was made to choose between a rock and a hard place. He chose the safer option, so don’t come at him without knowing the full story..” Henrik defended Bobby, surprising him.

“I officially invite you guys to be guests in our wedding!” Ulrike smiled and with that, started to walk towards the church while pulling Bobby by the wrist to follow her.

When they were too far away to hear, Henrik explained the full situation to the group quietly. The whole story beginning from Ulrike’s true nature, intentions and how she threatened to kill MC if Bobby didn’t comply. Everyone listened to him silently, not sure how to react.

“That’s.. a lot of pressure.. I feel so bad for Bobby.. and for MC!” Marisol finally sighed and shook her head in deep thought, “There must be something we can do to stop the wedding..” 

“Time is running out.. We need to come up with something quickly!” Elisa reminded them and they nodded, racking their brains for any chances or opportunities to stop the ceremony.

“Henrik, do Huldras have any weaknesses?” Rocco questioned and Henrik thought for a while.

“Steel..” He said and wondered for a while, “But where are we going to find anything made out of steel here?” He sighed and hung his head low. 

“We can try and look for anything made out of steel in here but I don’t know how lucky we will be… Or how much time we actually have.” Marisol sighed and without any better ideas, they decided to look for anything made out of steel.

…

Jöns and Leif’s cars parked on the shore, where they got into a boat and started to drive towards the island while they were explaining about the history of the island. There was a leprosarium over 300 years ago and they had built the church there so even those sick and deemed as filth of the society could attend masses. The leprosarium later also had mentally insane people in it before it was abandoned. The leprosarium was in ruins but the old church was considered an important piece of history and culture so it was renovated.

They also told different kind of myths and legends of the area, telling about some interesting coincidences that have taken place throughout the years. The boat ride seemed to last forever in MC’s opinion. Priya seemed like she might have known who Ulrike was planning to marry, but wouldn’t reveal it to anyone.. She was certainly acting strange..

When they finally arrived at the island, Jöns jumped out of the boat quickly and excused himself, saying that he needed to prepare for the ceremony. MC tried to run after him as she was super curious about the whole situation, but Leif stopped him.

“I need all of your accounts on what has happened during your trip here. We’ll need to ask you more questions at the police station, but I’d like to have your quick take on it before that.” Leif explained and the group nodded even though they were anxious about what was to follow.

Each of them gave their own descriptions of what happened one by one. By the time everyone had finished, the church bells had already played.

“Let’s go!” MC said hurriedly and they all headed towards the church. Before they could reach if, however, MC noticed that Priya was looking at her while hanging back. When Priya noticed that MC had noticed her weird behavior, she beckoned MC closer. MC sighed and walked up to her, tilting her head quizzically at Priya. Priya took a deep breath before speaking.

“MC, I’m so sorry..” She sighed and couldn’t bear to meet MC’s eyes.

“What are you talking about?” MC asked, starting to be annoyed with everyone delaying her arrival to the church. She wanted to know what was going on over there. She saw the others enter the church quietly.

“It’s Bobby…” Priya bit her lip anxiously and let her shoulders slump, “Ulrike is marrying Bobby..” She continued when MC didn’t react to her revelation right away.

“What?! How do you know that?” MC screeched and couldn’t believe her ears. Bobby was about to marry that bitch?!

“I made a deal with her and now we have this special bond.. She can inform me of anything through my thoughts.. She said that Bobby did it to save you from dying.. She also told me that I can’t tell you or anyone about any of this but I just couldn’t keep you in the dark anymore as you’re one of my dearest friends..” Priya sighed.

MC saw red as she thought about that bitch marrying his man. Without saying a word, she slipped off her rucksack and opened it. She was surprised to see a skeleton of a baby there, but didn’t question it right now as she had some more important business to attend to. She took out her trusted kitchen knife and closed the rucksack again.

Pria flinched at the sight of the knife, backing two steps away from MC and started to shiver slightly, “W.. What are you doing, MC?” She stuttered and eyed the knife suspiciously.

“Oh! I’m not going to stab you, don’t worry. I’m just going to take my man back!” MC declared and walked to the church doors, listening intently. Priya followed her but kept her distance.

"If any of you has a reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace..” She heard Jörn saying and decided to act right away even though she kind of felt like she was in some kind of cliché dramatic romance movie right now.

“I object!” MC shouted loudly as she opened the church doors, stepping in loudly. Everyone turned to look at her with surprise. She saw Bobby’s eyes widen in shock and then she saw hundreds of intense emotions pass through his face - relief, happiness, embarrassment, gratitude, guilt, sadness, love and wonderment. And that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Someone cheered. Someone gasped. But MC didn’t care about any of those people right now. She only saw Bobby. Bobby, the love of her life, her soulmate, her best friend. She was worried about how beat up he looked but was also relieved at the same time that he was alive. She was just as much in love with this man as she was before… Although he stood in front of the altar with another woman.

Ulrike clicked her tongue angrily and started to march towards MC, her eyes flaming with anger, “Ohh no you don’t..” Ulrike gritted her teeth and kept walking. MC began walking too, meeting Ulrike in the middle. They stared at each other down, sizing each other up, ready to attack.

“MC!” Bobby screamed, his voice cracking slightly. Everyone stayed put, not sure what to do. The two women just stood there motionless as if they were the reflections of each other.

“Listen here, you little bitch, you’re not going to ruin my day. I’ve been waiting for this day for over 400 years, so I’m not going to back off. So you better leave this church immediately before I fucking snap your neck..” Ulrike growled, her eyes glowing in the dimly lit church. 

“Uh-huh, I’m not letting you take my man that easily, you pathetic lost soul. You better back off before I shove you so deep into Hell that you’ll be able to smell Satan’s breath on your ugly skunk face!” MC spat back, clutching onto her knife.

“And how would you manage to do that?” Ulrike laughed uproariously, finding something twistingly hilarious about MC’s words and this whole situation.

“Ulrike, remember your promise to me! You can’t hurt MC, got it?!” Bobby shouted and walked slowly towards the pair.

“But one of your kind proved to be untrustworthy first, so I reckon it’s only fair for me to act out a little, too…” Ulrike gave Priya a stink-eye. Priya flinched under her betrayed gaze. Ulrike’s fingers and nails grew in sharpness and length as she eyes MC with a sadistic smile.

MC raised her knife, ready to stab a bitch. Ulrike tensed up, staring at the knife with a bewildered expression. MC raised her eyebrows in amusement.

“What? Don’t tell me that you, a 400-year-old spawn of the Devil with magic powers, are afraid of an itty-bitty kitchen knife?” It was MC’s turn to laugh mockingly. She pushed the knife towards Ulrike quickly, making her dodge and hiss. 

A flash of realization washed over Henrik’s face, “That’s it, MC! That knife is made of steel! Steel is the weakness of Huldras!” Henrik yelled out of his seat.

“Huldra? Huh..” MC mumbled and looked at the knife before grinning, “Guess you aren’t as invincible as you let on, huh?” She laughed and ran towards Ulrike, knife in her hand..

And right past her, forcing her to move to the side closer to the door.

“What are you playing at? Wanna have a little bit of fun before I kill you?” Ulrike screeched and didn’t remove her gaze from the knife.

“I’m giving you a way out. If you leave this church immediately and abandon your plans of marrying Bobby, I’ll let you go scot-free.” MC said sternly although there was a small smile on the corner of her lips.

“Woah MC, was that a pun? Scot-free, as in, Scott-free?” Bobby laughed at her creativity, gazing lovingly at his goofy and adorable, yet badass lass.

“It was unintentional, babe!” MC giggled and peered at Bobby over her shoulder with a warm smile. Her heart melted when she just saw him standing there with such a love-struck expression on his face.

Ulrike glared at the couple while weighing her options. She thought about all the misery she and the whole entirety of nature had been put through by humankind, all of her minions, about her freedom and about her time as a human before it was all taken away from her. That very day, when she had been so happy and full of love, was turned into a nightmare forcibly. She felt the same pain she had felt over 400 years again burning in her body.

And just for a moment when staring into MC’s expectant eyes and the other people around her, she felt empathy. For a moment all of that emptiness was replaced by emotion. She almost felt like a human that she once was. Her infuriated expression faltered and she felt all of the sin she had been carrying for her entire life being lifted off of her shoulders just for that one moment, as if she was that innocent young girl again that used to love being in the arms of her loving mother.

She then lifted up her gaze and saw the painting at the altar. Ascension of Jesus Christ. A strong sense of sadness filled her heart as she knew that she would never be forgiven by God. She was a spawn on pure evil with no redeeming qualities. The entire reason why she needed to get married and get the priest’s blessing was to be purged of her sins. Without that, she would be stuck roaming this awful place, her prison, until the end of the world. Ulrike looked at Bobby and saw the fear and even a hint of disgust in his eyes. She understood that no one in this world loved or had any sympathy towards her. Only resentment and fear.

And if you can’t be loved, you can at least be feared and hated. You’ve got to leave an impression to make a difference.

“Hell no! I’ve gotten this close to redemption and I’m not to give up because of a pathetic mortal because such as yourself!” Ulrike screamed, the previous emotions of sentiment turned into fury yet again. She was no human. There was no place for her among them. There was no room reserved for her in Heaven. 

“Oh well, we gave you a chance but you threw it away. Too bad you’re too stuck on your old ways to change..” MC sighed and prepared herself for the fight mentally. It was all or nothing now. Life or death. She thought about her friends that were already gone. Jakub, Hannah, Jo and Noah. Nothing was bringing them back, not any amount of tears or money. Maybe if she lost and perished, she could see them again. She thought about the friends that were still here with her, rooting for her. She thought about Bobby. If she died, they would all be absolutely heartbroken and devastated.

MC took a deep breath and ran towards Ulrike with her knife, feeling a strong surge of adrenaline running through her body. Ulrike flinched and hissed, losing her footing in surprise. MC stood before her as Ulrike laid on the floor, trying to understand what had happened. Her eyes found Priya’s and she knew what to do. Ulrike stared at Priya, who started to tremble in her seat.

“Oh, you’ve got me now, MC..” Ulrike laughed mockingly, but never removed her gaze from Priya, “But I have some bad news for you.. You know what happens if you kill a Huldra? The whole balance of nature will be disrupted, and that could have long-term consequences for humanity as well.. The lands won’t be as fertile, animals will be more aggressive and the weather will become more unpredictable. That is unless there’s another Huldra in-line to fulfill that awful role. Someone, who has been marked by the elder Huldra. Then that Huldra will be forced to roam her forest and fulfill the same goal as the others before her, torturing men and leaving bloodshed behind her until the end of time.. It’s a heavy burden to carry.” Ulrike smirked.

“What are you getting at with your stupid speech?” MC growled, keeping Ulrike in place with her knife.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to grant that type of God-awful punishment to even my worst enemy.. And especially not to one of my dearest friends..” Ulrike chuckled and snapped her fingers demandingly. Priya shot up in her seat, a horrified look on her face. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I can’t control my body!” She cried out as her body moved on her own before running towards MC, tackling her to the ground. MC’s knife flew out of her hands upon the impact. Ulrike stood up from the floor as now nothing was keeping her down. Priya held MC down with incredible strength, her entire body shaking in protest.

“What have you done, Priya?!” Bobby yelled and looked at the whole situation with a horrified expression, not believing what he was seeing.

“You see, Priya made an important contract with me.. One that bound herself to me forever. She didn’t exactly know what she had gotten herself into at the time, but didn’t question my interests further either. If I die, then she’ll take over my role. That neverending pain and torture… She will experience all of it. And you can’t help her. She will not care about you guys anymore, she will not be the same woman you all knew and loved..” Ulrike grinned sadistically and pulled Priya’s newly-formed cow tail out, showing it off to everyone with a victorious expression.

A silence fell to the church. Everyone was still, horrified by the turnouts of the events. Priya was still holding MC down, her whole face burning with embarrassment and her eyes filled with tears of guilt and desperation. MC looked back at her, wondering if there’s anything she could do for her friend.

“Oh, you can’t make me do this!” Priya screamed as her hands shook violently, her whole body rigid and seemingly in pain. Was she trying to rebel against Ulrike’s power over her? She groaned loudly and breathed hard, “Don’t make me hurt my friends! I’m so sorry!” She cried out in panic.

“Quit struggling! We all know there’s only two ways how this can end! Stop thinking about her and start thinking about yourself..” Ulrike grinned manacially and walked over to MC, pressing her face with her foot, “Oh, you poor thing.. It would be hilarious to see you being killed by your good friend..” 

“Priya! Don’t listen to her! Remember our good times! You can change your own fate!” MC begged Priya, her own eyes filling with tears as she felt powerless against the two overpowered Huldras.

“MC, I… I don’t know what to say, I… You’re my best friend and I love so you much, please forgive me, I can’t fight it anymore, it hurts, it hurts so much…! Priya’s voice was a whisper at first but soon she was screaming, tears running down her cheeks. Priya’s hands found their way on MC’S tender neck and began to push down..

“Priya! Stop! Please don’t do this!” Chelsea screamed from her seat and there was some motion around the church. MC’s vision was going blurry…

“I’m not your Priya anymore, bitch I’m a cow!” Priya screamed and shook her head violently as Ulrike laughed on, encouraging her to finish what she had started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is getting quite close to the end, isn’t it? What did you think about this chapter? Feel free to leave comments! xx


	18. Reunion with the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Find out what happened to MC! Which will prevail in the end - good or evil? Love or hate? Does every living islander make it out alive or is someone left behind?

[Church]

MC heard multiple loud noises just as she was about to black out from lack of oxygen. Was she dying? How could this be? She tried to look around one last time to see her friends and her love, but felt too weak to even move a muscle. She closed her eyes, imagining Bobby’s face for one last time while accepting her fate. She thought about her friends waiting on the other side, trying to comfort herself with that thought at the moment of her passing.

There was a bright white light shining above her and she began to hear a loud beeping sound in her ears again. Anna was screaming something inside her head again, desperately calling out for her. At least she wasn’t completely alone, then. MC looked at the light and she felt as if she was floating towards it, weighing nearly nothing. She reached for the light and felt perfectly at peace until something grabbed her shoulders, pulling her against something hard and broad.

“MC! Oh God, wake up!” She heard someone calling for her. Suddenly MC found herself in one of the forest paths again, and that path had two forks on it - at the end of one of them was the warm and welcoming light. Hannah, Jakub, Jo and Noah were also waiting there, smiling and waving at her. At the end of the other path only dark fog waited for her. She could hear familiar voices behind the fog, calling out her name. She looked between the two paths, unable to choose. She wanted to go see her friends again, to embrace them and catch up with them, but at the same time she had a feeling that if she chose to go there, she would never get to turn back. She looked at the path filled with light, looking at her friends. Suddenly Hannah’s face turned into one of sadness as she shook her head gently, whispering something inaudible and pointing at the other path. What did she mean?

MC could hear the voices calling out for her clearer now. First she heard Chelsea’s high-pitched sob. Next up she heard Lucas shouting her name desperately. Then there were Lottie, Marisol, Gary, Elisa and Rocco… She heard Henrik screaming something. Then there was Bobby. Her Bobby. Crying, screaming out her name, hyperventilating. Worry for her beloved’s well-being rose in MC’s chest as she tried to scream for Bobby, asking him what was wrong. No answer. She turned back to face her four friends on the other path, and they were now all motionless, looking straight into MC’s eyes. A single tear was falling down Hannah’s pale cheek as she opened her mouth, this time her voice audible. It was so sweet to hear her voice again.

“MC. Go back. They need you. Bobby needs you. We’ll always be watching over you guys. I love you all..” She said and smiled sadly.

“MC, you’re going to be fine. Don’t worry about us. Just be as brave as you’ve always been.” Jakub said softly.

“MC, please take care of Rahim for me. Tell him I’m okay. He needs to hear that..” Jo called out and put a hand over her heart, smiling.

“MC.. Can you tell Hope that I love her? For one last time.. Please make sure she’s safe.. We’ll be helping you all out from the other side.” Noah smiled gently and nodded his head.

“Are you even real? Or is this just my imagination? Oh God, am I dead?” MC questioned, feeling her body. She was still solid. She didn’t feel particularly dead, but maybe that’s just a defense mechanism created by her mind so she wouldn’t need to freak out?

“You know what they say. Energy is never wasted. But please, go! We can’t stand listening to Bobby crying like that!” Hannah laughed and winked at MC. It hurt her to think about leaving them behind again right after reuniting with them, but she knew she was needed more amongst the living. Among those, whose fates were still mutable. MC looked at her dear friends for one last time before nodding with determination, choosing the dark path. They all waved after her with broad smiles on their faces.

The voices were growing louder the longer MC walked the path. She was beginning to regret her choice as the path seemed to continue forever. But in her heart, she knew this was the only way. She couldn’t see anything and the only things she could trust and follow were the sounds and her intuition. Darkness consumed her again and suddenly she felt like she was falling down, down, down…

The first thing she saw was Bobby’s face. Bobby was holding her body in his arms, not noticing that she had woken up as he was crying so hard. MC’s heart broke after seeing Bobby in such emotional wreckage. It reminded her of her mental breakdown after she thought Bobby had died. Behind him, it was a real turmoil. Screams and shouts were heard. MC saw Priya lying on the floor, motionless. She gasped at the sight and tried to move, alerting Bobby.

“MC! You’re alive! Oh thank God, I was sure I had lost you just now!” Bobby managed to say with a shaky voice under his wobbly breathing. There was so much vulnerability behind those amber-colored eyes of his, so much pain behind his words and shaky breaths.

“Oh Bobby, I love you so much! I thought you were dead for the longest time and I’m so relieved to see you!” MC whispered and hugged Bobby tightly. Bobby embraced her back, not wanting to let go, “But we need to help the others now!” MC added and let go of Bobby, trying to stand up. Bobby thought about it for a while, not wanting to let MC go anywhere anymore, but with a sigh allowed it and helped her to stand up.

MC looked around her. The islanders were trying to force Ulrike out of the church with some objects made of steel. Henrik was the one closest to Ulrike, holding a large machete at nearly her throat. Lottie was very close to Ulrike too, holding a steel cross that she had borrowed from the altar. Ulrike was hissing and glaring daggers at the group, her whole body tense. Then MC looked at Priya, who was lying on the floor, motionless.

“What happened to Priya?” MC whispered to Bobby in panic, feeling worried about her friend even though technically she was the one trying to kill her just minutes before.

“As you were blacking out, Henrik ran to her and cut her tail.. Then she just fell to the floor with a scream and hasn’t moved since.. We’re not sure what’s going on with her..” Bobby explained and looked at Priya with a worried expression. MC nodded and looked around, trying to come up with an idea to help the others..

Then she noticed Lucas holding the shotgun at the outskirts of the group, looked up to the ceiling and got an idea. She tiptoed quickly over to Lucas, tapping his shoulder. Lucas turned around and was about to say something with a surprised yet relieved look on his face but MC quickly shushed him. MC pointed at the shotgun and then herself, signaling that she wanted it. Lucas raised a singular eyebrow at her but nodded and passed the gun to her. MC walked at the middle intersection of the church, took a long breath and focused on her goal.

“Oi Ulrike! Couldn’t even get rid of me, now could you, you useless cow!” She shouted and everyone turned to look at her with flabbergasted expressions. Ulrike glared at her and walked past the mob when they were too focused on wondering how on earth MC was still alive.

“What did you say about me, you mortal?!” Ulrike screeched and walked slowly towards MC, rage radiating from her being. MC took two steps backwards.

“You had one job and couldn’t even finish that? Hah! Every other Huldra in the history of Huldras would be embarrassed!” MC mocked Ulrike and blew a raspberry at her. Ulrike flinched angrily and kept a steady pace while walking towards MC.

“You don’t know anything, mortal! You and your big mouth deserve a punishment way worse than Hellfire!” Ulrike yelled and showed her long claws to MC, ready to swipe her throat open. The other islanders were worriedly whispering amongst themselves, not sure what to do. Lucas looked up and saw what MC had seen earlier, a slow smile appearing to his lips.

“Oh, are you going to show me that punishment? Come and show me if you dare, coward!” MC kept riling her up. Ulrike screeched demonically, now sprinting towards MC, blinded by her anger and thirst for blood. MC quickly aimed the shotgun towards a large, heavy steel chandelier and shot towards its supporting wire with precise three times in a row. 

The chandelier came crashing down loudly, glass shattering everywhere. It landed right onto Ulrike, who left out a long, blood-curdling scream as she felt the heavy steel against her skin. The chandelier was steaming. MC and the other islanders walked carefully closer to it, not knowing whether Ulrike was still alive or not.

MC peered at the mess that was the chandelier and saw that Ulrike’s skin had burnt badly under the steel, which probably caused steam to rise up. The islanders held their breaths, wondering whether she had died or not. Then they heard a painful groan and backed off really quickly, their hearts beating like crazy. Ulrike didn’t move, but then they heard the groan again.

“Guys.. What’s going on..?” A quiet voice asked behind them, making the group turn around and seeing Priya standing up, scratching her lower back in pain. MC’s eyes lit up as she saw that Priya was still alive.

“Priya! Thank goodness you’re okay!” MC squealed, handed the gun to Bobby and ran to Priya, hugging her tight. Priya tensed up at her touch, not sure what to do. She felt weird, almost guilty.

“What happened..? I can’t remember anything.. The last thing I remember was when we barged into the church and you objected..” Priya groaned and her head throbbed. She almost fell to her knees, but MC held her up. 

“Yeah.. About that.. You nearly killed me..” MC chuckled nervously and Priya quickly let go of her, backing off, a horrified look on her face.

“What?! I almost killed you?! How is that possible? Why? What happened?!” She screamed, her eyes as wide as saucers and seemingly panicked.

“It was Ulrike’s fault. She used her power over you.. You strangled me, and we all thought I died, me included..” MC explained quietly, frowning a little bit, “And then.. I woke up and saw the light.. I reached for it and ended up in a forest path with a fork on it. At the end of one of the paths I saw dark fog and heard your voices.. But at the end of the other path I saw light.. And I saw Hannah, Jakub, Jo and Noah. They stood there, smiling and waving. When I was confused about which path to take, they convinced me to return.” MC told the story of what she had experienced on the other side of the veil, knowing well enough how unbelievable it must have sounded. 

Hope’s eyes filled with tears as she listened. Lottie sniffed, muttering something about her best friend Hannah. Everyone frowned, looking at the ground. Bobby gave the shotgun back to Lucas and walked up to MC, engulfing her into a tight hug. MC hugged him back, burying her face onto his shoulder and taking in a deep breath.

“Were they.. Were they okay? How did they look?” Elisa questioned, her voice crumbling as she wiped her eyes.

“They looked happy. They had no visible wounds, no blood, no missing body parts.. They looked just as they were before this trip. And they all sent me and us some kind of messages.” MC explained and extracted herself from Bobby gently, speaking to everyone.

“Hannah said that they are watching over us and that she loves all of us. Jakub encouraged me and us to stay brave, saying that we don’t have to worry about them,” MC smiled at the group before walking off to Ibrahim, who was still unconscious, “Rahim.. I don’t know if you can hear me, but.. Jo said she’s doing well and she wants you to know that. You don’t need to blame yourself,” She told Ibrahim and gently stroked his head. Ibrahim stirred in his unconscious state as if he had heard what MC had said. MC sighed and walked up to Hope, who was already crying, “And Hope.. Noah said that he loves you. He wanted you to hear that from him for the last time. He also said that he wishes that we could protect you and take care of you. You’re not alone.” MC said quietly and hugged Hope. Hope hugged her back, sobbing loudly.

“I love you too, Noah! Always!” Hope cried out as she hugged MC, imagining her to be Noah. Just this one time.

“I’m sure he heard that, Hope. And I’m sure he would be saying it right back to you if you could hear him..” MC whispered into Hope’s ear and couldn’t hold back her own tears. They hugged for a while before they let go. MC turned to the others and saw that most of them were wiping their eyes, eyes glistening and bodies trembling.

“I can’t believe they’re gone…” Marisol sighed, her shoulders slumped. No one dared to question MC’s story, desperately hoping that it actually happened and that their friends were fine. Wherever they were.

“I can’t either.. I just really want to see them again..” Gary said, his voice empty and longing. They spent a moment in silence for the losses of their friends, wondering how they could ever move on from their losses.

They all jumped when they heard small movement from behind them. They slowly turned around and saw Ulrike moving slightly under the chandelier. 

“How is she still alive?! She was burnt so badly!” Henrik gasped, getting his machete ready. Lucas pointed the shotgun towards Ulrike, trying to stabilize his shaking hands. Everyone started to slowly back off from the church, being as quiet as possible, hoping not to attract the attention of stirring Ulrike. Gary and Rocco were starting to carry unconscious Ibrahim out. 

“I’ve got an idea..” Henrik mumbled and ran to Ibrahim’s unconscious body, searching for something in his pocket. He picked up a lighter and tried to light it, mumbling something to himself. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw it was miraculously working. He took the lighter and put it in the broken pile of the chandelier. He ripped the shotgun out of Lucas’ hands forcefully, beginning to aim from as far away as he could.

“Everyone! Get out of the church, now! Don’t come searching for me if I don’t return!” He shouted. Most of the islanders ran out of the door right away, and only MC, Bobby and Chelsea stayed back.

“But babe! You might get hurt!” Chelsea squealed and grabbed Henrik’s arm, trying to point his aim somewhere else other than at the pile. Henrik pried himself free of her grasp with a grunt before giving her a sad smile.

“I know. Or I might miss my shot. But.. If I have the chance to end the life of this murderous bitch right now, right here, I’m not about to miss my shot. Now go before she wakes up!” Henrik told Chelsea and a determined smile found its way onto his face. MC grabbed Chelsea by her arm, slowly beginning to pull her away from Henrik. Bobby followed them, making sure that Chelsea didn’t make a run for it back to him.

“Babe! I love you! Please be safe..” Chelsea shouted at Henrik. They saw Henrik smile, but he didn’t turn his eyes away from his target. 

“I love you too, Chelsea! So so much!” Henrik shouted back and waited for the three of them to exit. Only when he heard the sound of doors closing, he put his fingers on the trigger, “ _Adjö, djävulens dotter.._ ” He whispered just as the pile started to move more. He pulled the trigger and the bullet flew forward.. Henrik knew it’s going to hit the lighter for sure, so he started to run as fast as he could, out of the church, out of the way of the explosion..

**Boom.**

The whole wooden church blew up and caught in violent flames as the islanders watched on, holding their breaths, waiting for Henrik’s return. Chelsea was sobbing silently, holding onto MC for stability. Lottie and Gary were hugging each other, but couldn’t tear their eyes away from the fire. Lucas’ eyes were glistening and his mouth was hanging open. 

“He succeeded in his plan..” Lucas whispered, clenching his fists as his whole body shook. 

“But.. Did he make it out alive?” Hope said just as quietly, getting awful flashbacks to Noah’s sacrifice. Henrik’s sacrifice was the biggest one out of all.

“Don’t say that! Of course he made it! He had to, right?!” Chelsea screamed and began to cry louder, hyperventilating. MC held onto her friend while a tear rolled down her cheek. 

They began to hear the sound of sirens and helicopters above them. They looked up and saw multiple helicopters owned by the police and Swedish hospital approaching. They were finally going to be saved. They jumped up and down, waving their hands around, as if the giant church-sized campfire wasn’t a big enough sign for the helicopters. They slowly began to descend down..

Elisa’s head whipped around. She heard a sound from the darkness. It sounded like a human man speaking quietly.. Did Henrik run through the backdoor and they just didn’t notice him? She followed the sound curiously, trying to hear what was being said. She figured out that what was being spoken was in Swedish. It had to be Henrik, right? It was coming from the shore.. Maybe he caught on fire and ran to the lake to put himself out?

Elisa walked to the shore without anyone noticing, calling out for Henrik’s name. She still kept hearing the sound and she felt like she was coming closer to its source.

“Henrik? Are you there? Are you okay?” She called out brightly, trying to spot any movement. She then spotted some movement in the dark waters and called out again, “Henrik? Are you in the water?” She questioned and took a careful step in. 

“Yes..” He heard a masculine voice mutter from the lake. Elisa let out a relieved breath and walked deeper in.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay! Everyone’s so worried about you, can you move? Are you burnt?” Elisa asked worriedly and kept walking deeper, about the the area she had seen some movement in. To her surprise, she saw no one. 

Suddenly, something grabbed her ankles and pulled her underwater. She couldn’t do anything about it, not scream, not thrash around - so taken aback she was. As she was pulled underwater, she could hear the sound of violin and lonely singing all around her, before it turned into gentle laughter.

 _“Bli min fru, för evighet, älskling..”_ She heard someone mutter before she lost consciousness and she felt her lungs being completely filled with water, her vision going dark. The creature of the dark waters would never be lonely ever again.

…

As the islanders were starting to climb into the helicopters, they saw one of the firefighters approach from the burning building with a limp body over his shoulder. They recognized it to be Henrik right away. Chelsea gasped and ran right next to the man, demanding to know more about Henrik’s state. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she kept screaming to the firefighter for additional information, glancing at Henrik with panicked looks. The firefighter just shook his head and gave Henrik’s body to the emergency services, who hurried him right into their helicopter to give immediate care. Chelsea returned defeatedly to the helicopter where MC, Rocco, Lottie, Marisol, Lucas, Priya and Hope were all crammed in. They had taken Gary, Bobby and Ibrahim into immediate care as their wounds seemed worse than the others.

“What did he say?” Lottie whispered to Chelsea, holding her breath. Chelsea took a deep breath before speaking.

“He’s alive, but not doing that well.. It could go either way, I guess.. Oh, I hope and pray that he will survive..” Chelsea sighed and hung her head. MC took ahold of her hand, giving it a firm squeeze.

“Henrik’s a fighter. Everything’s going to be fine.. He’s getting help and care right now.” She said and smiled at her friend encouragingly. 

“Yeah, let’s not create any demons before we have a better reason to..” Rocco sighed and looked out of the helicopter’s window as the firefighters were starting to put out the fire.

“Shouldn’t we bury the bones of Anna and her son before we leave?” Lottie questioned, frowning.

“They have been waiting for forty years. I think they can wait until we’re checked out by the doctors and deemed healthy..” MC smiled softly, knowing in her heart that she was right. Lottie nodded her head at her, taking a deep breath.

“Wait.. Where did Elisa go?” Marisol soon asked, looking around the helicopter and peered outside the window. Everyone else looked around too, unable to locate her.

“Maybe she’s in another helicopter? I’m sure she’s being taken care of..” Priya tried to calm Marisol’s nerves, giving her a reassuring smile. Marisol looked still worried, but didn’t protest as she felt too tired to worry about anything extra right now, leaving everything to the experts.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.. I’m just worried about her,” Marisol sighed and gave a meaningful look to the others, “I just feel like we have become closer during this trip. Like, we really bonded. I may even have a little crush on her..” Marisol blushed and looked away, “But don’t tell her that I said that!” She quickly added.

“Your secret is safe with us! You two would be such a cute couple!” Chelsea squealed and smiled at Marisol despite the worrisome circumstances for her. Marisol returned a careful smile to her.

“I can’t wait to tell her how I feel..” She mumbled to herself and looked down at her hands while smiling like a dork.

Slowly the helicopter began to raise up, carrying the islanders into safety. MC let out a long sigh of relief as she watched the familiar scenery become further and further from her point of view. Finally they were safe. She felt bad about leaving the bodies of her friends behind, but that wasn’t really any of their responsibility right now. The police would search the area later on and try to retrieve their friends.

MC thought about the trip and everything that had happened during it. How ignorant they had been during the first few days when the biggest dramas they knew about were arguments about trust and some pathetic love triangle. MC wished she could return to those days. Those days, when everyone was still together. Those days, when no one was traumatized and in need of therapy. But alas, there was no way to rewind time or bring those times back. Instead they were stuck on this timeline where nothing had remained the same. 

At least MC still had Bobby. Some of the couples weren’t as lucky. For such a long time she had thought she had lost him forever, and those excruciating hours had been the worst and longest of her life. She felt for Ibrahim and Hope, who both had lost their significant other. She wanted to make sure that she’d honor Jo and Noah’s last wishes by supporting and taking care of Ibrahim and Hope through these dark times and merciless emotions of loss and grief. That’s the last she could do to honor the memory of her late friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a shorter one because it was supposed to be one long chapter but I decided to cut it to add dramatic tension! I hope you still liked this chapter! 
> 
> I’ve actually had a few near-death experiences so writing about one was kind of cool and kind of odd at the same time!


	19. See You Tomorrow, My One and Only

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermaths of the nightmarish trip. How does the recovery go? Will they be able to move on? How to face the public after what had happened? Will the mysteries be finally laid to rest?

[Hospital]

The islanders were flown to the nearest bigger hospital and were all given a room randomly. MC shared her room with three of her friends - Chelsea, Lottie and Hope. Two of them were the ones she had shared the most of her adventure with so far. In a sense it was calming to know that she could talk to them about anything in there without having to explain everything again and again. Henrik, Ibrahim, Gary and Bobby were sent to intensive care unit and they didn’t hear much about their situation from the nurses checking up on them.

“At least we’re out of there now..” MC sighed and looked at her friends. They all nodded, but everyone seemed silent and shaken up by everything as the feeling of safety let the emotions of anxiety and fear take control. They were all thinking back of what had happened in the previous days, having major flashbacks to some of the most traumatic experiences.

“I can’t believe that we fell off a cliff..” Lottie murmured and took a sip of the cup of water next to her on the nightstand.

“I can’t believe Henrik would try a big stunt like that to save all of us..” Chelsea whispered, tears in her dark blue eyes.

“I can’t believe Noah’s gone.. My Noah.. He helped me and he..” Hope trailed off, an empty look in her eyes as her whole body shook. Everyone gazed at her emphatically, offering their silent support. 

MC looked outside the window. It was nighttime, but she couldn’t fall asleep and knew well enough that none of her roommates could do that either. She was afraid of falling asleep. She was scared that if she fell asleep now, she would wake up in that bunker or summer cottage again, back inside that nightmare. She thought that if she fell asleep now, she would only see awful dreams about her friends dying over and over again. 

In the morning, the nurses and doctors ran some basic tests on them, testing their memory, reflexes and movement. They took x-rays of them and did MRI scans on their brains. Soon it was determined that most of the islanders were doing okay other than some minor injuries and dehydration. Only the ones taken to intensive care unit were having more trouble. Bobby had a concussion and Gary’s wounds had to be surgically sutured. Ibrahim and Henrik had burn marks all over their bodies, Ibrahim’s case being worse than Henrik’s. Ibrahim was still in a coma and once Henrik woke up, he had to be induced again to let his body heal more. Good news was that everyone was alive and mostly in stable conditions, doctors being hopeful for even Ibrahim’s recovery.

Even Gary’s nan showed up to the hospital at one point, screaming to the staff that it was absolutely necessary for her to see her grandson and that she had flown all the way from Chatham to make sure that his boy was okay. It was a tad bit embarrassing for Gary to hear a familiar voice shouting at the hallways but he was happy to see his nan nonetheless. When they were reunited, nan first and foremost scolded Gary for being reckless and taking dangerous chances, but afterwards gave him a big Rennell hug with shaking hands, telling how worried she was when she heard the news.

“Gary James Rennell! You know you can’t go and scare your old nan like that! I’m an old lady already, I swear I almost got a heart attack when your mother told me that the Swedish police had called to her about you!” Gary’s nan had screamed as she had marched to the room angrily, her face red and eyes widened.

“I’m sorry nan, I didn’t mean to worry yo--” Gary started to apologize, but his nan cut him off.

“How could you be so stupid and get hurt like that?! You fell of a cliff? Haven’t I taught you not to play near cliff edges?!” She scolded and didn’t bother to listen to her grandson’s explanations. 

“I didn’t play near the edge, we were attack--” Gary tried to explain, but didn’t stand a chance against his grandmother’s wrath.

“Attacked? Why didn’t you shoot it, my boy?! I’ve taught you how to properly handle a gun!” Gary’s nan yelled and looked shocked.

“I shot it! I swear I did! But it didn’t die!” Gary yelled back and her nan froze in place. Gary furrowed his brows and avoided his grandmother's eyes, knowing exactly what he had done wrong.

“Don’t you yell at your elders, boy! I thought I have taught you to respect your elders!” Nan scolded Gary again, her eyes burning.

“I’m sorry nan, I didn’t mean to yell at you…” Gary sighed, sincerely sorry. Nan looked deeply at Gary’s blue eyes and sighed deeply as well.

“I didn’t mean to yell at you, either.. You know I was just so worried about you.. Your mother was worried as well..” Gary’s nan frowned, tears in her eyes as she looked at her grandson. Gary stood up from the hospital bed and enveloped her grandmother in a large bear hug. Gary’s nan returned the hug and took in a long, shaky breath. They hugged it out for a while in silence.

“I love you, nan..” Gary said silently before letting go of his nan.

“Love you too, babycakes!” Gary’s nan smiled and ruffled Gary’s blonde hair. Gary laughed at the small sign of affection, smiling back at his nan.

Everyone but Ibrahim and Henrik were shown a green light to leave after two full days in the hospital. The group booked hotel rooms from a nearby hotel and spent the days mostly in the hospital by their sides. They didn’t feel right about leaving them alone for long periods of time. They couldn’t leave the country before Ibrahim and Henrik were able to come with them.

They had many people, magazines and TV-stations reaching out for them for interviews on what had happened, interested in the whole story of the famous islanders’ horrible trip to Sweden. The group agreed to only give the interview to one of the TV-stations in Sweden and one back in the UK, not having the strength to repeat the same unbelievable story million times.

MC, Bobby and Marisol sat on the sofa in front of the cameras and microphones, explaining their story to the two Swedish TV-personas sitting on the other sofa opposite to them.

“Today we have the pleasure to finally hear from the surviving islanders that were thrown in the middle of a nightmare on their vacation in Sweden. Welcome MC, Bobby and Marisol. We have a lot of questions lined up for you.” The Swedish woman, Ms. Berglund, smiled at the camera before turning to the trio.

“Okay, so where did you get the idea to visit Sweden during the Midsummer week?” The Swedish man, Mr. Andersson, asked the group. They looked at each other for a while, working out who should begin. Marisol sighed before speaking.

“We were wondering when we would have time to meet up and Henrik suggested that we should take a trip to his family’s summer cottage. We all agreed that it was a wonderful idea and booked the flights. We were so excited about spending a week together as a group after such a long time..” Marisol spoke up with a knowing, sad smile on her face.

“Why were you forced to flee the safety of your cottage?” Ms. Berglund questioned, lifting a singular eyebrow to the group.

“Our car tires were slashed and Henrik went to get help from one of the neighbors. He said that he would be back by the evening and when he didn’t appear, we assembled a group to go look for him. That group included me, MC, Chelsea, Lottie, Gary and Lucas. The rest of them stayed back at the cottage.” Bobby first explained and Marisol continued the story from her point of view.

“And shortly after that, the big group staying at the cottage was attacked. Most of us fled through the bathroom window to the boat and sailed away. However, our boat was attacked and we had to swim to the closest island.” Marisol told the story with a faraway look in her eyes, remembering those moments again.

“Who attacked you?” Mr. Andersson demanded to know.

“Monsters! _Huldra!_ Trolls! _Näcken!_ ” Marisol exclaimed and was shocked to see humored looks on the faces of Ms. Berglund and Mr. Andersson.

“Monsters? Are you sure about that?” Ms. Berglund chuckled with a playful smile on her face. Bobby, MC and Marisol were totally shocked by their reactions.

“Listen here. We saw them in front of our very eyes. We saw them hurt and even kill our friends. We didn’t imagine them. They are real. Bobby was dragged away by one of them. We encountered the same creature later and it forced us to jump down a cliff. I was almost killed by this _HuldraNäcken_.. The last clip was a video of Elisa herself, smiling and alive.

“Hello Elisa-bees! I’m having such a great time here with all of my best friends. I’ve bonded with most of them more, especially with Marisol. She’s such a cool gal! I love you guys so much, please take care of yourself and stay hydrated! Bye for now, see you tomorrow!” Elisa shouted happily before the interviewers paused the footage, showing a picture of Elisa’s smiling face on the screen. MC peered at Marisol and saw tears in her brown eyes.

“So the police are still looking for this girl, Elisa. If you have seen her or have any clues of what might have happened to her, please inform the police.” Ms. Berglund declared to the cameras and pointed at the photo of Elisa, “How did seeing her again make you feel?” she added and looked at the trio. Marisol sniffed and wiped her eyes.

“I miss her so much.. I really hope she’s alright, but.. I’m not holding onto much hope anymore.” Marisol admitted quietly, looking down at her feet.

“We’re so sorry for your losses.. We really are. Probably shouldn’t hand you any ‘I heart Sweden’ merchandise, huh..?” Mr. Andersson laughed weakly and shook his head afterwards at his dumb attempt in a joke.

The interviewers continued to ask some more questions from the islanders and the recent events, and after about 45 minutes MC, Bobby and Marisol were free to leave. They all put on a brave face while answering the personal questions, knowing that not everyone would believe their story. 

“I think those interviewers were kinda rude and insensitive..” MC huffed and crossed her arms as soon as they walked out of the building and started to head back towards the hospital.

“Yeah, I agree. It almost felt like they didn’t understand what type of traumatic events we had to go through..” Bobby sighed and entwined his hands with MC’s hands.

“I mean, our story does sound unbelievable. And they’re just trying to make a big buck out of this by being little controversial. We are rather well known everywhere in the western world in the end..” Marisol frowned and walked next to MC and Bobby, shaking her head.

“I get that, but it still was hurtful and toxic..” MC responded and glared at the ground angrily.

“I get that. I’m annoyed too. But we can’t let their words get to us.” Marisol explained calmly and both MC and Bobby just sighed in agreement.

They let Henrik wake up from his coma the next day as the doctors had determined that Henrik’s body had healed enough. Chelsea was over the moon when he woke up, not letting go of his hand for many hours as they had a long conversation. Three days later, Ibrahim woke up. He barely spoke, too traumatized by the events. A psychiatrist determined that some of the islanders were in need of therapy, especially Ibrahim, Hope, Priya, Henrik and Chelsea. He also tried to recommend therapy for MC after hearing about the voice in her head, but MC kept insisting that it was Anna speaking to her. 

Holmstads visited the group in the hospital once. Leif filled them in on the current developments and findings of the police. They had been able to retrieve all of the bodies except for Elisa’s possible body. There were no sightings of her and they had started to treat the case as a murder case. Jöns told them that when the fire had finally died out, the whole church was entirely burnt to crisp and they hadn’t found Ulrike’s body amongst the rubble. Ulf just stood there while listening to his sons talking, holding a small photograph of Anna while looking at it with a sad expression on his face. She gave the photo to MC and smiled at her, Jöns translating his words to her.

“My father says that he wants you to have this photo as you had made a strong connection with my sister and you helped her and us with moving on. And he says that you should always remember that energy is never wasted.” Jöns explained and MC nodded, taking the photo with a careful smile. Her eyes filled with tears after hearing the last words, remembering how Lottie and later Hannah had said the exact same thing to her before. 

After that they returned to the island to bury Anna and her young son. It was scary for them to return to the island, but they were accompanied by multiple armed police. The island gave them the chills, the awful memories returning to them in an instant. Yet everything felt peaceful and quiet and they didn’t feel like anyone was watching them anymore. They walked up to the Holmstad family grave, seeing that two deep holes had already been dug out ready for the remains. MC laid Anna’s son’s corpse to the coffin, a strange coolness running through her body. She looked at the small skeleton, smiling.

“Good night. Sleep tight. We’ll be alright.” MC said gently before closing the coffin, a heavy burden being lifted off of her shoulders. Ulf laid her daughter’s remains into the other coffin, sobbing silently. After that, they were slowly descended to rest under the holy soil and the holes filled with dirt. They left some flowers on their grave, standing there for a while with tears in their eyes. MC could swear that she heard a silent _‘thank you’_ in the breeze as she stood there before it was completely silent. No more voices in her head. She looked up to the sky, sure that Anna’s last wish had finally come true.

~*~

After that they all were able to return to the UK and to their normal everyday lives. Well, some into more normal life than the others. It was never going to be the same for Hope and Ibrahim, and everyone was still deeply struck with sorrow after losing their friends. That all just felt somehow much more real at home. No one dared to kick Hannah, Jakub, Jo, Noah and Elisa out of the group chat even though they knew they would never respond to their messages, no matter how many times they would tag them. Their faces were all over the news. Many fans of the show sent DMs to the islanders about them. Some even made and posted compilation videos of their best moments on the show and hottest Instagram photos to memorialize them.

The islanders received the footage from Elisa’s phone and decided to edit the clips and post the Midsummer vlog on YouTube like Elisa had planned, adding a memorial text at the end of the video about each and every islander that had lost their life. It got millions of views and thousands of comments, most of them supporting and telling how much they missed the five lost islanders. Elisa would have been proud.

The islanders didn’t meet in a full group for a while, mostly because it was really hard to get ahold of Hope, Ibrahim and Priya. They never answered their phones and if you went and visited them, they either weren’t home or if they were and let you in, they didn’t speak much. They were to utterly broken by the events and losses that they endured that they were diagnosed by psychiatrists to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and some form of depression. It didn’t really surprise the others - even they were struggling with mental issues and sleeping after the trip. 

The first time the group met afterwards was at a memorial service for the five lives lost. It was held in a beautiful, spacious and grand building near London. It was decorated with Victorian era style, with luscious colors, large paintings, chandeliers and patterns loyal to the era. Photos of those five islanders were framed on a table and five candles were burning in front of them. Soft classical music was playing in the background as the living islanders mingled, sharing memories and stories about the five. Someone held a special speech for every islander. Lottie spoke about Hannah, Chelsea about Jakub, Ibrahim with the help of Gary about Jo, Hope about Noah and Marisol about Elisa.

“As we know, Hannah was an extraordinary friend. Her transformation from a cocoon into a butterfly was truly inspirational yet she never lost her overflowing kindness and ability to see beauty in everything and everyone. Hannah was that kind of friend we all need, there was never any doubt about that..” Lottie spoke, holding back tears. Lucas kept looking at his side, feeling guilty about making Hannah’s last days miserable and not being there to protect her.

“Jakub always gave 100%. He never gave up or aimed to please the general public, instead he was always fully authentic to himself. He had such a strong presence wherever he went. He‘s never going to be forgotten by any of us as he left such a huge mark in our souls..” Chelsea told, holding a tissue ready in her hand. MC thought about how painful Jakub’s last moments had been.

“Jo truly was the love of my life. Nothing is going to be the same without her. I miss her brilliant smile, her shining eyes and wonderful laughter. When I was unconscious, I was with her. I never wanted to wake up.. I had to lose her twice in a sense. But she kept saying how she wanted me to move on and find happiness again, so I’m going to try and do that even if it takes years..” Ibrahim spoke quietly, an empty look on his face. Gary patted him on the back emphatically and whispered something encouraging into his ear.

“Nothing can compare to how I felt when I was with Noah. He was my soulmate, my second half. I can’t help but feel like he deserved better. He had so many dreams and wishes left to fulfill, so many opportunities and possibilities open to him. We could all rely on Noah to be there for us when he needed him. He was that kind of man until the very end. I know for sure that I’m going to miss him forever..” Hope said, her eyes glistening under the bright lights of the room.

“I think we can all agree that Elisa never ceased to amaze us with her positive attitude, playful demeanor, amazing style and how hard she worked to build her own brand. It’s hard to find a person more charismatic and bright than Elisa. I wish I could’ve spent more time with her and been more honest with her about my feelings, so my advice to you all is that you should never, ever take anything for granted but act as fast as you can. There’s no such thing as perfect timing or perfect place. If you keep waiting for that perfect setting, the opportunity might slip right through your fingers..” Marisol sighed and smiled sadly at the crowd, her hands shaking slightly.

After the speeches, no eyes were left dry. They looked at the photos of their beloved friends, wishing that they could be here with them to hear how missed they all were. At one point MC could have sworn that she saw a flash of red hair disappear behind the corner as he quickly turned around. Right after that incident she caught eyes with Lottie who looked right back at her as if she had just seen a ghost. They shrugged at each other, not being able to explain what they had just seen.

Even Shannon, Blake and Casa Amor guys visited the memorial service, all dressed in black. They had been very shocked when they had seen the news and Elisa’s vlog. They all offered their condolences and support. Kassam had created a mixtape that included five songs, one made for each lost islander. They played the mixtape during the service, all touched by the music Kassam had created and they had heard. Rest of the Casa Amor guys had made a heartfelt card. Shannon brought them a huge bouquet of gorgeous flowers that were put on the table next to the photos. Blake brought some bottles of expensive wine.

“Hey MC.. I planned to sing this song in front of everyone as I’m singing in a choir and all, but now I feel like I’m just going to burst into tears if I sing it alone, so could you please sing it with me? I heard you singing during Midsummer eve’s party and I thought you were quite a good singer..” Hope asked MC quietly and after a while of consideration, MC nodded and they both headed next to the microphones, the soft music soon starting to play around them. The song was My Love My Life by, you guessed it, ABBA

_So now we'll go separate ways  
Never again we two  
Never again, nothing I can do_

MC and Hope sung in perfect unison, all eyes turned to look at them. This time they didn’t dance around or smile; they were nearly motionless and serious. MC took ahold of Hope’s hand once she noticed that she was trembling slightly, giving it a small squeeze. Hope smiled at MC weakly and tried her best to compose herself. Behind them silently played those fan made compilations of Hannah, Jakub, Jo, Noah and Elisa and Elisa’s Midsummer week vlog.

_Like an image passing by, my love, my life  
In the mirror of your eyes, my love, my life  
I can see it all so clearly  
Answer me sincerely  
Was it a dream, a lie  
Like reflections of your mind, my love, my life  
Are the words you try to find, my love, my life_

MC noticed that most of the islanders were wiping their eyes by the end of the first chorus. Her eyes met Bobby’s amber ones and saw how full of hurt and longing they were, causing her own heart to break a little. Ibrahim was leaning on Gary’s shoulder while crying desperately, whispering Jo’s name. Lottie held Priya’s hand tightly as they saw Hannah’s smiling face in the video behind MC and Hope, both of their eyes glistening. Lucas was staring intently at Hannah’s face as well, his whole body rigid and his eyes glazed over. Marisol couldn’t even look at the video and just kept looking at her feet, her red lips trembling. 

_Yes, I know I don't possess you  
So go away, God bless you  
You are still my love and my life  
Still my one and only_

Hope’s voice cracked at the last lines, forcing MC to finish the song alone as Hope began crying. By then, Hope was shaking so hard that MC had to hold her near to keep her from falling to her knees. MC finished the song with grace and elegance, peering at the video behind her and saw a picture of them all in the Love Island Final, smiling together joyfully. She and Bobby were standing in the middle with a large cheque, looking like they were on top of the world at that exact moment. That absolutely broke her and tears started to trickle down her cheeks as she remembered that happy day. She remembered the bottle of nail polish that Noah had given her. She remembered that Hannah was the first person she had ran into at the afterparty. She remembered how she had carried Elisa around over her shoulder, causing Elisa to laugh so hard. Everything flooded back to her in that instant and she really had to work hard not to drop Hope or fall down herself. 

**Ding.**

Suddenly, a notification sound rang out through the crying and wailing, alerting everyone’s attention. MC’s whole body froze and she received some awful flashbacks from their time at the cottage. 

**Ding.**

**Ding.**

**Ding.**

**Ding.**

Suddenly there was a sea of notification sounds. Everyone was staring at MC as she took out her phone with shaking hands, dread running through her veins. Everyone held their breath.

5 new messages from 5 different unknown numbers. 

MC opened the one message she received first. It was a voicemail. She opened it at full volume, hoping that everyone could hear it. It was a short part of a song, sung by a shrill, high-pitched voice.

_I just don't know  
But still my love for you will live forever  
Hasta Mañana 'til we meet again  
Don't know where, don't know when_

“Han?” Lottie whispered quietly when the message ended, “It sounded just like her..” She added, tears falling down her pale cheeks. Lucas nodded in agreement, his eyes glistening. MC played the next voice message from another unknown number.

_Darling, our love was much too strong to die  
We'll find a way to face a new tomorrow  
Hasta Mañana, say we'll meet again  
I can’t do without you_

“That’s Noah! It has to be!” Hope screamed in-between her sobs, falling down to her knees even though MC tried to catch her. Chelsea ran to Hope, holding her tight even though she herself was a crying mess as well.

_Where is the dream we were dreaming  
And all the nights we shared  
Where did they go?  
I just don't know  
And I can't tell you just how much I miss you_

“Jo! Jo, can you hear me?! Jo, I love you! I miss you too, baby girl!” Ibrahim yelled and looked around wildly after MC had played the next voice message. He couldn’t find her no matter how hard he looked.

_Hasta Mañana 'til we meet again  
Don't know where, don't know when  
Darling, our love was much too strong to die  
We'll find a way to face a new tomorrow_

“No.. Elisa.. But I never got to tell you I…” Marisol bit her lip as the fourth message played. She was shaking and finally let her own tears fall freely. She took a deep, shaky breath in attempt to calm herself down but it was all in vain.

_Hasta Mañana, say we'll meet again  
Time to forget, send me a letter  
Say you forgive, the sooner the better  
Hasta Mañana, baby, Hasta Mañana, until then_

The last message played out and the whole room fell silent again, only sobs and sniffles could be heard. Everyone knew who had sung the last part, but couldn’t bear to say it out loud. They just looked at the videos and the photos being played at the background in silence, full of gratitude yet sorrow for what had just happened.

“I think that was their way of reassuring us that they’re okay and watching over us..” Lottie finally spoke up, her voice quiet and at its breaking point.

“A final thank you.. Or a reminder.” Henrik sighed and wiped his teary forest green eyes.

“A reminder on what?” Rocco questioned and scratched his beard inquisitively, emotion evident in his voice.

“A reminder that energy is never wasted!” MC and Lottie said in unison and maybe, just maybe, if you listened closely enough you could hear a third, more high-pitched voice whispering the same sentence as well. MC and Lottie looked at each other and grinned at each other behind their tears.

The group spent the rest of the evening sharing more stories of their friends and offering each other their condolences and supportive hugs. They even dared to dance a little and tell jokes and laugh again. Moving on wasn’t ever going to be easy or painless, but finally they were more hopeful that they’d be able to do that eventually. Together. Even if five of them were missing, in spirit they were always there and one big happy family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is getting so close to the end now! Only one more chapter left. I really want to thank each and every one of you who have read this story! It really does mean a lot to me xx
> 
> I'll talk to you more about my thoughts of this project in the last chapter! Just wanted you to know how appreciated you all are before the last stretch.


	20. Nightmare Gone Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this last chapter of Midsummer Week’s Nightmare we’ll see what’s going on with MC and Bobby after the memorial service.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s the last chapter! Cheers! Smut ahead, warning! More information on the last chapter notes at the end, check them out!

[Bobby and MC’s home]

It had been two days since the memorial service when Bobby and MC finally had a silent and free night to themselves. Instead of going to a club, a restaurant or calling some of their friends or family over, they decided to spend it by themselves in the comfort of their beautiful home. They just wanted to take it easy tonight with no distractions. Bobby had dimmed the lights and lit some candles to create some mood lighting and also baked some of MC’s favourite baked goods for them to indulge in. 

They started the evening off by watching some episodes of their current favourite TV-show on netflix, trying to avoid the real television because there was always a chance they could see their own faces or faces’ of their friends in the news and that wouldn’t exactly be ideal during a cozy night-in. They ate some of Bobby’s baked goods while holding each other in complete silence. Not the awkward kind of silence, but the comfortable kind. 

Bobby ran his hand through MC’s silky smooth hair absentmindedly, knowing that tonight could change everything. He felt nervous, nearly sick to his stomach, thinking about what he wanted to do tonight. He tried not to show it to MC though and kept doing his best at smiling even though on the inside he was freaking out. He loved feeling MC so close to him like this especially after what they had to go through. There were moments when he thought he could never hold her close like this again - when he found himself in the cell, when he heard MC’s scream in the distance and when Priya nearly suffocated her.. So he was grateful for every stolen moment where he could hold her close like this. 

“I’m just so thankful that you’re here..” Bobby whispered silently into MC’s ear, his warm breath tickling MC’s ear and forcing her to smile. Not that she wouldn’t have smiled if it wasn’t for the tickly breath. She felt extremely lucky to be held by his beloved.

“Yeah, same.. I would’ve cried after you for years if something had happened to you..” MC admitted and turned her head upwards to meet Bobby’s eyes. Bobby chuckled and couldn’t help but give a quick kiss on those kissable lips of MC. MC kissed him back quickly before turning back to the television.

“I would’ve probably gone off the rails if something had happened to you.. I can’t even fathom how difficult it must be for Rahim and Hope at the moment..” Bobby sighed, thinking about his two friends that had lost a significant other. 

“Or Marisol.. She had only figured out that she might have feelings towards Elisa and then she was taken away from her.. And she was in her group, so maybe she feels guilty about that, too..” MC frowned while thinking about her law student friend.

“And I know that Lucas and Hannah were not together anymore, but I still feel like Lucas may blame himself a little bit, too. They still had love for each other and they spent nearly a year together.. It’s not something you just stop caring about in an instant..” Bobby reminded and bit his lower lip nervously, wondering if he should ask something.

“And Lottie lost her best friend.. And like, I had such a great conversation with Hannah during the last morning at the cottage.. I really bonded with her and felt closer to her than ever before.. I miss her..” MC breathed out deeply and shook her head sorrowfully. They were quiet for a moment after that, but MC could feel Bobby fidgeting under her awkwardly, “Okay, is something the matter? You seem nervous..” MC lifted a single eyebrow quizzically, peering at Bobby with a slightly turned head.

“Yeah, no, yeah.. I mean, not really.. I was just thinking about something..” Bobby blushed slightly and after MC didn’t say a word, he continued, “It’s about Lucas.. I think he might have feelings for you.. It was quite evident at the Midsummer eve celebration.. He kept glancing at you, he sung that song with you in his mind, he acted somewhat flirtatiously.. And I’m not normally this jealous, I swear! But.. It did make me feel insecure and inadequate in some way. Like, we had just had two arguments before and Lucas is such a dream boyfriend material and I’m not really anything special..” Bobby rambled, unable to stop himself from admitting everything to MC.

“Bobby, of course you’re special! You’re special to me!” MC quickly exclaimed and turned around to face Bobby, “I did have a feeling that he might be flirting with me, but I tried to tell myself that maybe I misread the signals.. I hope I didn’t offend you by not rejecting him right away, because I swear I didn’t mean to lead him on or anything..” MC sighed and grabbed Bobby’s face, looking him deeply into his amber eyes.

“MC, I just want to know.. And I know this might sound odd, but.. Did anything happen between you and Lucas when we were separated?” Bobby gulped and tried to look away from MC’s intense gaze. He felt like such a bad, overly-jealous boyfriend by asking something like that, but the thought had been eating him up on the inside.

“No, of course not! We kept it 100% platonic. I was not nor am I interested in Lucas. I only have eyes for you, Bobby, and you know that.. Right? I only have feelings for you. No one has ever made me feel the way that you make me feel. When we were separated, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I even slashed out to Lucas at one point and blamed himself for your death..” MC explained with a serious tone, not letting go of Bobby’s face. 

“Oh?” Bobby met MC’s eyes, unable to contain a small smile on the corners of his lips, “So you didn’t cuddle up with him during the night? I kept thinking about how traumatic circumstances like that sometimes bring people together, and I kept imagining you and Lucas.. You know. Becoming closer and closer.. Jo and Rahim tried to tell me that nothing was going on, but those thoughts still kept plaguing me..” Bobby bit the inside of his cheek awkwardly, feeling silly all of a sudden about getting all worked up by this subject.

“Nothing happened between us. Nada. Lucas is my friend, but nothing more. I mean, he’s handsome and such a gentleman, but he’s no Bobby,” MC laughed and pecked Bobby’s nose, “And I’m not angry at you for thinking like that.. It’s quite natural, to be honest. In circumstances like that, you think of the worst case scenarios all the time.. I was so sure you had died when you were dragged away, when in reality you hadn’t.. That was me thinking about the worst case scenario even though I didn’t have any real confirmation yet..” MC explained and brushed her hand gently through Bobby’s hair.

“I’m sorry for doubting you.. I know you’re not that type of person, but.. Ugh, I just feel so silly all of a sudden.. I shouldn’t have even brought this issue up..” Bobby shook his head and seemed disappointed in himself at that moment. 

“No, it’s good that you brought it up. It was clearly bothering you. We need to have clear and trusting communication where nothing is too stupid, little or embarrassing to bring up.” MC smiled at Bobby and began to kiss Bobby’s face all over affectionately - his nose, forehead, cheeks, jaw, eyelids.. Bobby chuckled at the sudden sign of affection, pulling MC a little closer to his body and running his hand down her back. Their TV-programme was completely forgotten by now. 

MC kept kissing Bobby’s face, slowly moving on to his tender neck. Bobby moved his head slightly to give MC better access, enjoying the familiar feeling. His hands found MC’s hips and stayed there, holding her firmly yet gently. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the close contact. 

MC had to admit that she was getting really excited from kissing Bobby like this and from Bobby holding her so protectively. They hadn’t made love during the trip or after the trip as most of the days had gone in the hospital, traveling or were other ways busy or just.. Foggy. The days when they just were so sad about the fate of their friends which obviously was off putting and didn’t create the perfect mood for lovemaking. MC’s needs were driving her wild and she wanted to feel Bobby’s hand all over her body, yearning to feel him as close as possible.

MC stopped kissing Bobby’s neck suddenly and quickly brought her lips against Bobby’s lips, kissing him passionately. Bobby was little taken aback from the heat of the moment, but returned the kiss with nearly as much passion as MC. MC pressed her body closely against Bobby’s trying to be as close to him as possible at that moment. Her whole body was hot and starting to work on its own, animalistically trying to achieve what it so desperately was looking for. 

Bobby’s head was spinning. He had obviously looked forward to making love with MC after such a long pause, but he had prepared this night for one thing only on his mind. And that thing wasn’t fucking MC. He tried to get ahold of himself, ignoring the desperate demands of his body. He had to stay level-headed. He didn’t want to put his question off any longer. He slowly started to tame the kiss down, turning it to be sweet rather than passionate. He heard MC whine in need and disappointment as he slowly pulled away from her.

“Don’t you want me..?” MC looked at him sadly, breaking his heart a little, “I understand if you’re not feeling it yet, but I just thought.. Ah, it’s okay, really.. Or is your head hurting? I’m sorry, I didn’t take that into account--” MC began to ramble, her lust turning from disappointment to worry really quickly. Bobby cut her off with a quick peck on her lips.

“No, it’s not that I don’t want you.. I want you so, so much,” Bobby assured MC, but didn’t try anything sexually triggering with her, “And my head is alright. You don’t need to worry yourself.. There’s just something I wanted to talk to you about tonight..” Bobby gulped and gently pushed MC off of him, placing her next to him on the sofa, stood up and walked off to somewhere, leaving MC confused. Bobby was trying his best to hide his member that had gotten a little excited from all of that heated touches and kissing. 

Bobby returned after a while with a bottle of bubbles and two glasses, pouring some to both of them, miraculously not spilling the drink everywhere like he usually does. He offered the other glass to MC and took a sip of his own drink while still standing up. MC stared at him suspiciously, but took a sip of her own drink as well.

Bobby’s heart was beating out of his chest and his head felt like it was filled with blood as he looked down at MC, trying to find the courage and the right words to say. He tried to do the best to contain and hide his nervousness but according to the look on MC’s face he was not doing the best job with that. Bobby coughed nervously before opening his mouth to speak.

“MC, you know how much I love you. You’re my sun and my moon, my rock and my wings, my best friend and partner in crime. There’s no one in this world that can compare to you in my eyes. I’ve been so very lucky to spend an entire year with you as my girlfriend - meeting you and being with you has been the best time of my life.” Bobby spoke, his voice unusually quiet and vulnerable. 

MC’s eyes widened at Bobby’s words and weird behavior. Was he about the break up with her or was he about to--

“If there’s something I learnt during our trip in Sweden, it was that I should never take anything or anyone for granted and that there’s no perfect time or place. I was so afraid that I had blown my chances after we got separated, and I was really beating myself up for it. I swore to myself that if I was given another shot with you, I’d do things right this time around. I would stop hesitating, stop being worried about being rejected, stop feeling scared and just do it,” Bobby spoke, laid his glass of bubbly on the table next to him, took a small velvet box out of his back pocket and went down on one knee in front of MC, “MC.. You’re my one and only, my love and my life. I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it. So that’s why I’m asking you right now.. Will you marry me? Nothing would make me happier in this world..” Bobby said quietly while opening the box to reveal the most beautiful ring, his eyes glistening slightly. 

MC gasped and shot her hand in front of her mouth, her eyes as wide as possible and her eyes were starting to prick with tears as she looked at the ring and looked at Bobby, unable to speak for a moment. Bobby was starting to look a little awkward and nervous down there. 

“Yes! I’d love to marry you, Bobby!” MC screamed and jumped up from the sofa and tackled Bobby into a giant hug. Bobby nearly lost his footing, barely keeping his balance as he let out a relieved sigh and a happy laugh, feeling like he was on top of the world. His lass had said yes. All of that anxiety and fear of rejection had been for nothing. He was floating somewhere up in the clouds as he slipped the ring on MC’s ring ringer..

“Um, Bobby, that’s the wrong hand..” MC laughed and helped slightly embarrassed Bobby to put the ring on her right hand.. No, left hand, but like, right hand..You know what I mean! MC rotated her left hand, gazing at the ring with a broad, genuine smile on her lips. It was the kind of ring she had always hoped for, “Oh Bobby, it’s perfect.. I love you more than anything..” MC sighed contently and looked up to meet Bobby’s eyes.

Bobby and MC were gazing at each other lovingly as they stood up, Bobby snaking his arms around MC’s hips and pulling her close, “I love you too, lass. Thank you for making me the happiest man on Earth..” Bobby grinned at MC, brushing a loose strand of hair behind MC’s ear and looking at her as if she was some kind of Goddess. MC giggled at his love-struck expression and rolled her eyes playfully.

“You’re such a melt, you know that?” MC laughed and brushed her hand against Bobby’s jaw and cheek, unable to stop herself from smiling. 

“Only for you, babe..” Bobby chuckled as he closed the distance between their faces, kissing her deeply and lovingly. The kiss they shared felt even more wonderful than usual as now they were promised to each other. Bobby was already thinking about the wedding preparations, such as the day, venue, cake and their outfits, wondering how gorgeous MC would look in her wedding dress or suit… Should he wear a kilt? But his daydreaming was quickly shot down by MC’s wandering, curious hands.. 

MC’s lust had only been amplified by the sudden proposal as she had feared for a moment that Bobby didn’t want her or that he was about to break up with her and now that those fears were proven incorrect, she felt even more determined than before to quench her thirst. And usually to get what you want, you have to work for it, so she was ready to put some work into this, alright.. Her hands traveled from Bobby’s face to the back of Bobby’s neck, down to his shoulders, chest and abdomen, even giving his cute butt some attention.

“Oh? Shouldn’t we now that we’re engaged wait until marriage like the good Christians we truly are?” Bobby chuckled but couldn’t hide how excited his body was getting from her feverish touches. After the anxiety of proposing had ceased, he was feeling so euphoric and confident and nothing was plaguing his mind anymore.

“I think it’s a little bit late for us to ‘wait until marriage’ anymore, hun.. We’ve done it so many times already..” MC bit her lip and chuckled, grinding her hips against Bobby’s hardening member. Bobby had to hold in his moan at the sense of friction.

“Better to start late than never..” He breathed out, fighting his urge to just rip MC’s clothes off and throw her on that sofa behind her..

“I don’t think I can wait any longer, I’m afraid.. I’m sure God can forgive me after he sees how I can show you the seventh heaven..” MC whispered, her voice husky and laced with lust. MC started to button open Bobby’s shirt and unbuckling his belt, determined to feel his bare skin against her own. 

“So you’re implying that God will be watching over us while we fuck?” Bobby laughed and let out a dramatic gasp, “MC! You didn’t ask me how I feel about God watching!” This time it was MC’s turn to laugh.

“Oh, he better be watching, this is going to be so good..” She bit her lip and looked at Bobby’s eyes as she fell to her knees in front of him, taking his cock out of his pants and boxers. Bobby shuddered at the sight, his cock throbbing in MC’s hands. MC smirked and started to slowly run her hand up and down his shaft, teasingly slow at first. Bobby threw his head back and let out a moan after not having his needs handled by MC in a little while. It felt even better than he had remembered it..

MC began to pump her hand around Bobby’s engorged shaft quicker and added some pressure, keeping up that steady pace for a while before giving it an experimental lick. She loved those little reactions and sounds that Bobby let out, feeling herself already dripping with anticipation. After giving Bobby’s dick some attention with her tongue, she wrapped her lips around it and started to give him her best attempt at blowjob, giving her all into it. She didn’t tear her eyes away from Bobby’s as she kept bobbing her head front and back, doing her best to fit as much of it in as she could. 

Bobby groaned and panted hard, gripping MC’s head and hair instinctively, his hips starting to move in tune with MC’s sucking, “You feel, ah, so good..” He muttered, unable to tear his eyes away from MC’s, hypnotized by her piercing gaze and the sight in front of him. MC hummed appreciatively while continuing to please Bobby with her mouth, becoming more and more ambitious with the pace and depth of her activity. She quickly rubbed her clit through her panties to take some of her pressure off, feeling how soaked her panties already were. She moaned against Bobby’s dick erotically, rolling her hips in pure lust. Bobby’s cock throbbed at the sight and sound, pushing him closer to the edge.

MC noticed how close and wild she was driving Bobby, feeling proud of her skills. It only fueled herself to exceed her previous efficiency, taking Bobby’s whole shaft in her mouth and going as fast as she possibly could. She ran her other hand down her body, giving her left breast a hard squeeze while maintaining eye contact with Bobby. Bobby let out a long, desperate moan as he gripped MC’s hair harder, unable to contain himself anymore, “Fuck! I’m coming!” He cried out seconds before he shot his load down MC’s throat. MC swallowed the whole load diligently, feeling great about being able to please her beloved so well. Bobby was panting hard as he pulled himself out of MC’s mouth, his face and body flushed from post-orgasm glow. 

Before MC could do anything else, Bobby grabbed her arms and pushed her gently on the sofa while kneeling down himself, lining his face with MC’s crotch. He gently opened her legs and ran a finger down her thigh. MC giggled and slipped most of her her clothes off quickly so they wouldn’t be in the way of what Bobby was about to do. Bobby started to kiss MC’s inner thigh without another word, giving it experimental licks every once in a while. MC’s thigh shuddered involuntarily with pleasure, impatient to get some more. 

Bobby took his time in teasing MC and enjoying the view. Nothing in this world made him happier than pleasing the one he loved. After enough kissing and licking MC’s thighs, he slipped her soaked pantiess off with his teeth excruciatingly slowly. MC was already moving around uncomfortably, eminent on wanting pleasure right now. She let out a desperate whimper as Bobby just kept staring at her, trying to slip her hand down there to touch herself, but Bobby stopped her with a chuckle.

“Patience, my dear..” Bobby hummed and slowly brought his face in-between MC’s thighs, firstly just circling around her vulva with his tongue. MC tried to angle her hips the way that her most sensitive parts would be hit with the tongue, but instead Bobby dodged the tried and then locked her hips against the sofa with his hands, not letting her move around sneakily. MC let out another needy whimper, begging Bobby silently to get on with it. Finally Bobby gave in and his tongue found MC’s clitoris. MC moaned out in pleasure as Bobby started to work his magic with trained movements, knowing exactly how to please his lass. 

MC panted and moaned, her body responding to Bobby’s touch eagerly. She threw her head back, closing her eyes and gripped the material of the sofa tightly, not being ashamed by her loud moans and groans, instead embracing the feeling of finally being pleasured. Bobby’s tongue found just the right places and the right angles to make the waves of pleasure strong and hard, making MC see stars in her eyes. Bobby suddenly slipped a finger in the depths of MC, moving it around slowly. MC’s hips, now free to move, thrusted aggressively towards the movement, trying to get him as deep as she could. Bobby chuckled at the natural reaction, admiring the raw energy of the moment. He added in another finger while still concentrating on MC’s clit with this mouth, moving faster. 

“Ahh, Bobby.. I want more.. Please give.. me more.. Can’t get.. enough.. nh..” MC moaned, her hips moving erratically, mirroring the movements of Bobby’s fingers. The sex with Bobby had always been amazing, but this felt even more wonderful than before, perhaps from the longer pause between last time and this. MC felt a familiar sensation on the pit of her stomach, signaling that she was driven closer to the release. Bobby added a third finger, picking up the pace. 

“Fuuuck.. You’re so hot, MC..” He quickly said before continuing to lick and suck her clitoris. MC’s back arched as she felt more filled by Bobby’s fingers and as he worked his magic on her. Her breathing was quick and even fitful as she was experiencing the heights of her pleasure. She felt warmth spreading from the center of her body to the rest of the body in waves, knowing that she was very close. One powerful thrust of Bobby’s fingers inside was enough for her as she let out a loud, long moan, her thighs twitching, her back arching violently and her eyes nearly rolling in her head. It was probably one of the most powerful orgasms she had ever had before. When it was finally over, MC fell back to the sofa, breathing hard, opening her eyes softly to meet Bobby’s. Bobby removed his fingers from her and licked the clean with a grin, “Truly my favourite meal… Better than spaghetti hoops on toast.” he laughed and winked at MC. MC couldn’t help but laugh at his antics, grabbing a pillow from under her head and throwing it at Bobby.

“You better enter me in the next 10 seconds or I’ll cry..” She said threateningly, causing Bobby to quickly run off for a condom from some drawer. MC giggled at the sight of naked Bobby running around the house, “Cute butt!” she shouted at him while keeping her legs open, impatiently waiting for something to fill her up even more than fingers.. She rubbed her clit while waiting for Bobby, who soon appeared above her while putting on a condom, “Fancy seeing you here, mister..” MC breathed out excitedly and bit her lip erotically. Bobby grinned back at her, kissing her while starting to apply his cock at the entrance. MC responded to the kiss eagerly, pushing her hips forward. 

Finally Bobby entered her fully, causing both of the people to let out a long, relieved moan in unison. Bobby waited for MC to adjust for a while before starting to move his hips rhythmically, adamant to make MC feel both secure and good. MC wrapped her hands around Bobby’s neck, kissing him deeply and passionately again. Bobby picked up the speed slowly building up in the power of the thrusts. MC moaned, arching her back slightly while pushing her hips against the movements. It felt wonderful to finally feel him inside her, she had missed this feeling of being one with the person you love the most. And although their sex was kind of rough tonight, it was also full of love and admiration towards the other person. 

Soon enough Bobby was slamming into MC with full speed and strength, wondering how lucky he was to be able to touch her like this, to be inside her like this and above all, to be engaged to her. His heart was so overwhelmed with love and emotion that he nearly wanted to cry. Cry because of the pleasure, cry because of the sheer amount of love he was feeling. 

They both came at the same time, calling out each other’s name. MC’s feet had snaked around Bobby’s hips and she was leaving marks against the skin of his back as she moaned loudly. Bobby angled to be as deep in MC as he could as he released, seeing the universe in front of his eyes.. Or at least the world, as MC was his world. He stayed inside of MC for a while, his cock throbbing as he was trying to stabilize his breathing.

“Hey Bobby.. Why are you crying? Are you okay?” He heard MC call out from somewhere far away. He quickly wiped his cheeks and noticed that they were moist. He turned his attention back to MC who was looking up to him with a worried expression, shaking his head with a vulnerable laugh.

“No, I’m okay.. I just love you so much and got a little choked up..” He laughed, a tad bit embarrassed. MC smiled at him and pulled him closer to her, giving him a quick yer intense kiss on his lips. Bobby pulled himself out of MC and rubbed her cheek with his hand softly, smiling back at her. 

“Aww, you melt.. I love you too..” MC smiled and they shared a long, drawn-out kiss. It almost seemed like everything in the world was good again for a while. When the pulled apart, a familiar glimmer had returned to MC’s eyes, “I wanna bang you against all the furniture in the house..” She whispered and raised her eyebrows with a sly smirk.

“And I’d love to let you, but I’m feeling kinda tired already.. What about tomorrow?” Bobby laughed and winked at MC. MC stuck out her tongue and sat up from the sofa, stretching and letting out a long sigh.

“Well, what about at least round two in the bed? I’ve heard that beds are great for sleeping afterwards..” MC winked back and took Bobby softly by his wrist, pulling him towards the bedroom. Bobby chuckled while following her. 

“That sounds like an offer I can’t reject..” He hummed as the pair disappeared to the bedroom, abandoning their clothes in the living room. 

~*~

MC and Bobby slept in the next morning in their post-sex and post-engaged bliss, holding each other close. They had that feeling again where they kinda didn’t want to leave the house the whole day again, where they just wanted to stay in while being too handsy and cute with each other. Slowly they opened their eyes to the sunlight streaming from the window, feeling both rested and exhausted at the same time. Let’s just say that round two had eventually turned into round three as well.. 

“Morning, babe..” MC mumbled and gave a gentle kiss to Bobby’s lips, smiling at his tired face.

“Good morning, lass. What a night.. I’m over the moon because you said yes..” Bobby smiled back at her, running his hand through MC’s hair gently.

“I’m happy that you said yes to round three..” MC chuckled and smirked to Bobby, “But yes, I’m also so excited about our engagement.. It really is a dream come true for me.” Her smirk softened into a gentle smile as she nuzzled her nose with Bobby’s nose. When she pulled apart from the nose nuzzles, Bobby gave her a traditional boop.

“Boop!” He laughed and grinned at MC, “You’re just so goddamn beautiful, you know that..” He whispered silently as he stared at MC’s bare face in the morning light, a love-stuck expression on his face. 

MC giggled to his reaction, silently getting ready to boop the oblivious Bobby back, “Boop!” she announced when she finally managed to boop Bobby back, taking him by surprise.

“Agh! This means war, my fair lady!” Bobby announced with a grin as she pinned MC down in the matter of seconds, tickling her. MC laughed, but didn’t retaliate, instead tickling Bobby back. They were both a large mess of giggles and out of breath as they heard a familiar notification sound. They both stopped, turning to face MC’s night stand with slightly worried expressions. MC reached out for her phone, looking at the screen before letting out a sigh of relief. 

“It’s just the WhatsApp group. Nothing special is going on.. Oh, that reminds me! Should we tell the others about our engagement like, right now?” MC smiled and Bobby thought about it for a while, nodding. 

“As long as they don’t have some serious conversation there right now about anything else..” Bobby nodded and seemed excited to finally announce their engagement to the world. MC nodded with a broad smile, opening her phone. They quickly took a cute afternoon-in-bed selfie with MC’s left hand and the ring visible before sending it to the Love Island group chat.

MC: *Picture*  
MC: Look! Bobby popped the question! I’m sooo excited! xx  
Chelsea: Eeeek! Congratulations! This is so cool! Can I help you with the wedding preparations, pleeeeaseee?!  
Lottie: Wicked! Congrats, you guys! That’s such a pretty ring too, great choice, Bobby! ;)  
Rocco: Congratulations, guys! Finally some good news from somewhere..  
Henrik: Yooo, what’s up! Great job Bobby, finally gathering the courage to ask her! 

“Finally? Have you been planning this for longer than I thought?” MC frowned and looked at Bobby with lifted eyebrows. Bobby scratched the back of neck nervously and let out a small laugh.

“Well, I bought the ring over two months ago but didn’t think it was ever the perfect time.. I thought about popping the question during the trip but that didn’t really work out, so.. I was carrying the ring with me nearly everywhere.” He chuckled and smiled with red cheeks.

“That’s so cute, babe! You never had any reason to be nervous, there wasn’t any moment I would’ve said no..” MC assured Bobby and gave him a quick kiss.

Marisol: Oh, congratulations! I’m so pleased for you guys!   
Gary: Hey wow, congratulations from me and my nan!  
Lucas: Yeah, best of luck from me..   
Hope: That’s amazing..  
Ibrahim: Way to go, you guys..

“Hmmh, not everyone seems as.. Enthusiastic..” MC sighed and looked at the screen sadly. Bobby squeezed her shoulders reassuringly, giving her right shoulder gently kisses afterwards.

“They just need more time.. Hope and Rahim are still down because of what happened to their partners and Lucas.. Well, he’s probably sad about Hannah and the others too, but we can’t deny that he probably had some feelings towards you.. But I’m sure he’ll come around eventually..” Bobby explained softly and smiled at MC.

“Yeah, I guess so..” MC sighed and felt a pang of guilt for being so happy about her engagement. 

“Well hey, at least Chelsea is super excited!” Bobby laughed and pointed at the screen. Chelsea was bombarding the chat with multiple messages.

Chelsea: Oh em gee! I have so many great ideas!  
Chelsea: For the bachelorette party we should order some cute t-shirts with fun quotes!   
Chelsea: And for the actual wedding, oh em gee!   
Chelsea: I want to go dress shopping with you!   
Chelsea: You’re wearing a dress, right? Can I be your bridesmaid?   
Chelsea: I need a good excuse to buy a new cute dress and being your bridesmaid would be the perfect excuse to go on a shopping spree!  
Chelsea: I can see the venue in my head! It’s gonna be so cute!   
Chelsea: This is going the be the best wedding ever!   
Chelsea: Tell Bobby that he HAS to wear a kilt!!  
Chelsea: Are there pink kilts?! That would be soo cute!!!

“Wearing a kilt could be a fun way to honor my heritage.. What do you think?” Bobby grinned at MC. MC smiled back at him, shrugging her shoulder.

“I don’t really mind what you wear. If you want to wear a pink kilt, then go for it!” She laughed and stretched.

“Maybe not a pink one, but.. A kilt could be plenty of fun!” Bobby laughed and scratched his head. 

“Oh, I bet it would be plenty of fun for both of us..” MC bit her lip while gazing at Bobby with an all-too-familiar expression. They leaned in closer to each other with grins before another notification sound rang out.

Rocco: This is bad, this is bad..   
MC: What is bad?   
Rocco: I can’t find her anywhere!   
Henrik: Find who? What’s going on Rocco?  
Rocco: So you know how we haven’t been able to contact Priya after the memorial service, right? I decided to visit her apartment but she didn’t answer, so I tried the door just now and it was open.. But no one was inside the apartment and it’s all a mess here! I wouldn’t see Priya as the type of person to leave their house look like after a hurricane..  
Lottie: What?! Priya’s not there? I’ll try and call her right now.   
Lucas: That doesn’t sound good.. She’s been struggling mentally after the trip..  
Marisol: I hope she’s alright..   
Rocco: Oh no.. This is bad, guys, I tell you!   
Gary: Take a deep breath. What did you find?  
Rocco: A map of Sweden with the area we visited circled..   
Hope: Do you think that she wanted to go back there?!   
Henrik: Oh no.. Maybe the mark of Huldra didn’t disappear by me cutting off the tail? Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit..   
Lucas: We need to stop her from leaving!   
Chelsea: I thought this mess would be over now.. Why..   
Marisol: Okay, I checked from the internet and the next flight to Umeå from the airport will leave in.. 45 minutes! We’ll have to leave, right now!   
Rocco: On it!   
Lottie: Her phone was turned off! We need to hurry! 

MC and Bobby froze under the covers, a cold dread running through their bodies. They exchanged worried looks and quickly jumped out of the bed, dressing up in the first decent clothes they could find.

“Mamma mia.. Here we go again..” Bobby sighed deeply, not even picking up on his accidental ABBA reference. 

“No! No more ABBA, please!” MC cried out as she put on her shoes. 

“Sorry..” Bobby apologized and picked up the car keys off the table as they both started to run towards the car.

“It’s okay, babe.. No matter what happens from now on, I love you..” MC smiled softly and the pair shared a quick, intimate kiss before they started to drive towards the airport. 

MC couldn’t help but feel like this was the beginning of something new. Whether it was something great or awful? She wasn’t sure of that. But one thing was for sure - she’ll get to share that adventure with Bobby and she wouldn’t let go of him no matter what kind of obstacles life threw in front of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! This was about 280 pages worth of text on Google Docs! I really want to thank all of you for reading this story! It means a lot to me. I haven’t written any fanfictions in such a long time and never on this site or about this fandom, so it was rather scary to publish this. I’m happy I did it, though. This was such a fun project to me! I have some questions for you, dear readers, about this story and how you perceived it. Feel free to comment your answers down below, even if you’re only answering one of these. 
> 
> 1Whose death touched you the most and why? (Was it because you liked the character, was the death scene itself sad or did I manage to write the scene so well that it felt super sad?) 
> 
> 2.What were your favourite and least favorite elements or parts of this story? (Almost half of the story was not really horror but rather more like drama or thriller.. Did you prefer the horror part or the drama part more?)
> 
> 3\. Do you think the story was difficult to follow along with overlapping timelines and whatnot? That was something I was worried about while writing this story.
> 
> I left the ending open for a reason. I don’t know if I’m going to do “part 2” or not (if I decide to do it, at least not right away as I’m having super busy time at school now) but I think this type of ending works with horror stories well. Other than that this chapter was mostly wholesome content for Bobby x MC -fans who have been waiting for cute scenes ever since the 11th chapter. 
> 
> This story had a few little lessons that I wanted to teach through it: 1. Energy. Is. Never. Wasted. I think that lesson was clear enough with the latest chapter.. 2. Treat nature and animals well. Ulrike’s role was obviously to be the bad guy but also show that we all should respect nature and treat it with care. We can’t take nature for granted. 
> 
> Please take care of yourselves, stay hydrated and remember that you’re appreciated and loved! xx I hope you’ve been having a great day so far and that you enjoyed my story “Midsummer Week’s Nightmare”! Please feel free to comment and contact me here or on Reddit. Toodles! xx


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